1chi
by Akane-chan02
Summary: A whole new perspective on the engagement. 99.9% guaranteed. Ranma & Akane. AU WARNING: includes Love , hate , WAFF , anger , engagements , challenges , dates, fights , romance , chibi figures , etc
1.

The original RANMA ½ is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. She's so cool letting uncool people like me borrow the names of her characters for my story.  
This is the only time I'm going to state the disclaimer, because I don't like repeating myself. 


	2. Ichi

Okie dokie let's just start by me saying that this is a first time ordeal. Actually, no, the first time I won't sound like a suicidal freak. TRYING to make sense, so shut up and listen.  
  
Chapter one: Speak softly and carry a big stick; and you will go far. An old Chinese saying by Roosevelt..  
  
Chapter 1 Akane's beginning ^opening Scene^  
  
Mrs. Tendo was dying, and her husband knew it. She had been diagnosed with cancer and was now dwindling away. Her strength was failing her even though she was with child. The doctor's told him that there was no hope, but a nurse whispered something about a medicine man that could cure anything. He found out that he lived here in Shinichi valley. Soun immediately had his family go there, and this is where he is now seated. In the humble abode of Doctor Aboshi. Doctor Aboshi was rather old (kinda like happousai); anyway, they were having tea and discussing his wife.  
  
"Can you cure my wife?"  
  
"Yes, but on one condition..."  
  
*Soun and his family stayed at Doctor Aboshi during the remainder of his wife's pregnancy*  
  
Soun, as part of the condition of the deal, let Doctor Aboshi keep the child, and told his that their child had died a still born. They went back to their house and lived their lives accordingly, nobody but Soun ever knowing the truth.  
  
Doctor Aboshi waited until they had left; he changed his form from that of an old man, to a tall black hooded being. Almost like Larva off of Vampire Princess Miyu. He finally had her, the precious human child he wanted. He would take care of her now, but first he had to give her a name. Akane.  
  
16 years later. Nabiki was writing in her journal. She had always had a journal, ever since she learned to write. In fact Nabiki had quite a few journals that she kept. Nabiki loved to analyze people, and keeping really good records helped her earn her enough money to keep the dojo going. Nabiki had the gift of extortion. It was something of a Martial Arts technique and she was out to be the very best. She may not be the most popular girl at school, but at least she was feared. Nabiki was writing in her personal journal, not for extortion purposes, but to get her feeling in order. Something was bothering her, and she struggled for words to express her new feelings. Damn her father. Nabiki could never figure out how such a pathetic man still had so many secrets.  
  
Soun, Nabiki and Kasumi were all eating breakfast together like they always did. Soun however seemed very out of it, he was staring at a wall, and he also drummed his thumbs the way he did when he was nervous. Anyway, Nabiki just KNEW something wasn't right, and that her father was about to unleash a storm on the entire family. He always did this. He waited until the last possible moment to tell people about bad situations. Almost to the point were nothing could happen to reverse the problem. This time Nabiki decided she wasn't going to wait for her father to grow enough balls to tell her. She would get to the bottom of this, five minutes or less. guaranteed.  
  
"Daddy, what's wrong?" I god, I hope he didn't accidentally sell the house. again.  
  
Instead of answering her, he pulled out a big black box. The box was dull, it had a handle and several locks on it. It was bigger than most boxes, almost as big as a tool box, but not quite. He slid it over to Nabiki and stated that he would be on a training trip for a week, and that his daughters should take care while he was gone.  
  
Soun was no fool, he knew better than to be around when his two daughters found out. He knew that Nabiki was at master lock pick, still. it gave him enough time to get out of the Nerima district before she found out.  
  
Kasumi and Nabiki looked curiously at the box sitting in the middle of the table. Wow, Nabiki thought, where did he get that from? His butt?  
  
"Oh my, what is it?"  
  
"Let's find out!" with that Nabiki grinned at the challenge, and got out her equipment.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Nabiki got the last of the locks off the box. With a last click, the box flew open.   
  
Nabiki hadn't gone to school on today. The box, the one currently sitting on her bed, was the cause of her "sick day." Every time she looked at the box she got overwhelmed with emotions, but most of all her curiosity wanted her to open up the box again. Suddenly, Nabiki got an urge to write in her journal, she decided to write what she found in the box in detail. First she would describe everything in detail. and then perhaps she could get her emotions in order enough to exploit the situation. Nabiki needed to do what she did best, analysis of human nature. She had been fairly good at it over the years, this totally blew her out of the water, to think that her father was capable of keeping such a big secret all these years.  
  
Anyway, Nabiki wrote in great description. She tried to not get too personal in the description, but that was hard. This black box contained everything about her sister, the one that Soun had neglected to tell anyone about. In this box, it told the story of a little girl that was sold at birth and was looking for her family. A tear went down Nabiki's cheek as she thought about how cruel her father had been, it was a bit much to deal with, even for the "ice queen" Nabiki looked back at here five page entry and decided one thing, Akane wasn't to blame for this. In fact, Nabiki was going to do anything in her power to help Akane and punish Soun. Nabiki was still pondering how to state her opinions in her diary causing her to zone out. When a light tap came on the door.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
"Would you like some cookies and milk?"  
  
Nabiki just smiled at her sister. Kasumi hadn't taken the news well either. Nabiki knew what her sister was up to. Her sister coped with situations by cooking. Kasumi used cooking as a way to get away from it all. Sometimes Nabiki wished she could be oblivious, and happy, by simply ignoring things around her. Then again, Nabiki had too much money to make to do that. She smiled inwardly.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Kasumi was now sitting on the bed with the black box in her lap.  
  
"What can we do?"  
  
Nabiki decided she hated having others control her fate, she decided long ago that she would create her own destiny. She also hated uncertainty; it is a sign of weakness.  
  
"Nabiki?"  
  
"Hai"  
  
"Why did Daddy do this? Why didn't he tell us?"  
  
Oh yeah. the contract was in Chinese, kasumi couldn't read it, but Nabiki could.  
  
"Because daddy promised he wouldn't."  
  
They had this conversation at least three times since yesterday, but every time they had it, it invoked a strong emotion in Nabiki. Nabiki is on the verge of tears.  
  
"Did Mommy know?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because dad thought that she would be too heart broken. So he told mommy that Akane was a still-born."  
  
"Why did Daddy do this?"  
  
"Mommy had a cancer that the doctors couldn't cure, but this man could. The only thing he asked for in return was Akane."  
  
"Why did he want Akane, why not me or you?"  
  
"He chose her because we would have memories of our family, and he and his wife wanted a baby of their own."  
  
"Nabiki, What are we going to do?"  
  
" I don't know"  
  
Nabiki got up from her desk and embraced her sister. Nabiki swore that she would do anything to make Kasumi feel better, even welcoming a perfect stranger as a family member.  
  
*********************************************  
  
Deep in the forest there was a fire burning with two figures sitting by it cooking. It smelled great, it had many different scents. One figure was that of a teenage girl, currently very dirty with very little but rags on.  
  
Sensei, as he was called because he was actually a demon and he wouldn't allow her to call him Daddy. He was sitting across the fire from Akane. He was quite pleased with what he saw. She had beautiful raven black hair, very well toned, and very skilled. He watched as she cooked, and had the urge to drool. She was cooking over the fire, he couldn't figure out why she couldn't cook in the kitchen, but this didn't concern him because what she cooked over the fire was delicious. He now was looking back on the last sixteen years of his life with this girl. He had bought her a brought her up, but he couldn't figure out if there was something he had over looked. He had always wanted to raise a child, even if he wasn't human, he wanted to understand human nature. Perhaps adopting her was a mistake, she looked like a normal human, but she wasn't. Maybe being raised by a demon had done something to disrupt normal human emotions. Her emotions weren't developing as they should, he had raised her to not react to anything, and it gave an advantage to the enemy if you did that. He had also taught her how to hide what she was thinking and feeling by manipulating her own chi. so, he had no idea what she was feeling. He was rather sad that he couldn't break the human code, he still couldn't understand her. This is what he was afraid of, but now it was time to return her to her family, and hope that she wasn't consumed by the cruel outside world. Sensei was a bit nervous, he was about to rip Akane's world from under her.  
  
The two figures ate in silence in the woods each in deep thought.  
  
Jusenkyo: The most cursed training ground ever!  
  
At least that's what the pamphlet said. Genma didn't know that much Chinese. The only thing he could make out was the word training, he decided to visit the place.  
  
::splash::  
  
"What the hell is that!?"  
  
A teenage boy is standing on a bamboo pole pointing at what appears to a panda  
  
::thump:: ::Splash::  
  
The teenage, now girl, boy resurfaced from the pond all he heard was.  
  
"young sir you fall in spring of drowned girl."  
  
The rest was drowned out by a blood curling scream.  
  
Soun was waiting at the spot that the letter told him. It was only a simple postcard, on the front was an eloquent painting of a phoenix being reborn from the flames. On the back was written:  
  
Dear Tendo:  
  
Come pick up your daughter at the Kawasaki airport at gate twelve, 1:30 Sunday.  
  
Soun fought the urge to cry as he waited near the gates. He felt terrible about keeping her a secret from his own family, but it was in the contract that he had signed. He knew deep down inside that he had to face this like a man. He wondered about her. He hadn't seen her since she had been born. He wondered what her personality was. Suddenly he felt like running away, but that thought was cut short when the doors of gate twelve suddenly flew open.  
  
Genma was nervous for several reasons. Ever since he had accidentally kicked his son into the Nyannichuan, his son had been especially fierce in their sparring matches. Ranma had improved these last few weeks because of this new found hatred, and frankly it scared Genma. Another reason Genma was nervous is that he "neglected" to tell Ranma why they were going to Nerima. Ranma wasn't unduly concerned, he probably thought they were just going to another training ground.  
  
Well. the boy will know soon enough...  
  
END CHAPTER  
  
Author Notes:  
  
Did I mention this was a Xover and alternate universe? And that none of the character's act the same way? Oops.  
  
Ranma specializes in gastronomy.  
  
Um. right.  
  
I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate all of those seasoned Fanfic writers that I have enjoyed for the last five years. I never realized how hard this is. (moment)  
  
Just a word to the wise, this fanfic was never meant to be GREAT. Just good, you know, fun to read. I began writing this fic because I enjoyed the idea. Usually, I just search around and find a fanfiction that was similar to my idea. Copy it to my word processor. Change the wording slightly. Read it over. Then delete it. (oh dear, I hope I'm not the only one to have done that. )After years of searching, I never found one quite like the one on my mind. So here it is. I'm not looking for greatness. I just want it to be readable, understandable, and enjoyable.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE :P 


	3. ichi han

Chaper 1& 1/2  
  
Back in Kami's castle in the heavens, Kami was contemplating the situation at hand. He was reviewing a news reviewing a new report from one of his trusted aides. In order to understand the report, one would have to be clued into their history: A hundred trillion years ago there had been a fight between two kami's that had shared one earth for at least a hundred trillion years before that. There had been a great battle between the Kamis for the earth. In the end, the earth had been split into many earths and the kamis were split into many kamis, exactly one for each earth. So for a hundred trillion years all the kamis had lived in peace. Now, though, there was a renegade Kami. He was raising havoc a lot of the 'universes.' Kami knew there was nothing he could do, because even though Kami's can smile upon an individual and make him do his will, Kami's cannot step a foot onto their own earth's and neither can their servant's called 'fates.'  
  
::Sigh:: "there's evil afoot in these dark times."  
  
"Sir?" a little block blobby looking thingy looked beseechingly at Kami. "Kami-sama?" "What?" "we've found the couple you've requested."  
  
Kami set out a sigh of relief. He told his servants to find a future couple whose fate was so strong that anything, ANYTHING, could be done to either couple and they would still be helplessly in love.  
  
"They're both of the Anything Goes Martial Arts." "Very good, Gurd, come here." Another black shadowy thingy comes out of the darkness. "Go get me the heir of the Anything Goes Martial Arts." "Hai."  
  
*THREE MONTHS LATER* "I've brought the child as you wished Kami-sama." The black thingy handed the baby to the kami for him to inspect.  
  
"Gurd? This is a girl, why did you bring me a girl?"  
  
"You told me to get the heir of the Anything School of Martial Arts, Kami."  
  
Kami then smacked his hand against head.  
  
"Couldn't you have gotten me the *male* heir!?!? You know how these thing go, the *male* gets all the cool training that makes him distant, and it's the *female's* job to make him realize how to feel emotions again. Didn't your mom ever read you romance novels when you were a kid .?!?!?"  
  
"I can return her if you'd like."  
  
"You can't just return a baby like you would a tie you got for Christmas! I can imagine it now: Sorry but I got the wrong baby. IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!!" ::cough:: "Well, since it is you who has made the fatal error. I now decree that you and all of your and your acquaintances will raise this baby girl for the original purpose of Alternating this Universe."  
  
End chapter 1 & 1/2 Ok, I know, I've had this part in my Author's note ever since the beginning, but sometimes people don't read Author's notes. Now though, in chapter ten (the one I'm currently writing) I have use for it. I haven't bit off more than I can chew, I'm just struggling to swallow. 


	4. Ni

CHAPTER 2  
  
AN: "speaking" 'thought' ::poster:: noise  
  
A two days later.  
  
Akane was sitting in her desk. She was having a hard time concentrating on her teacher. She hated this school, she hated the teaching staff, and she hated the fact that she wasn't used to being called by her last name. Never in her life had she had a last name, and now its Tendo-san this and Tendo- san that. She wished that they would stop calling her by her last name. Yeah. she was related to these people, but she wasn't raised by them. The reception that she had gotten was shaky at best. How could her own father keep her entire existence from the rest of the family. She certainly didn't get much of a family feel from them.  
  
"Ms. Tendo. Could you please answer number thirteen in the book?"  
  
"Ms. Tendo?"  
  
"Ms. Tendo!"  
  
It took the fellow classmate's poking to get her to respond.  
  
"hai." Akane glanced down at her math book.  
  
Akane was doing a simple (well. simple for a person who has been training her entire life, so as you can imagine it was actually quite complex) kata in the dojo. She didn't know what to make of this place. She had been thrown here by her Sensei. not like he hadn't done this before. This time was a little different. This time he told her that they were her biological family. HER family, and these people seemed believe it too. They ACTUALLY thought of her as their long lost daughter/sister. It was kind of flattering, but it made her uneasy, she had this bad feeling in her stomach for days. Usually when people got attached to her they were hurt when Sensei came and took her away. She was very confused, Sensei had never really ever meant to lie to her before. Why would he start now? He knew how much she wanted a family to call her own. She wished there was a way they could do a DNA test or something to prove it. That's when she heard a click. It sounded suspiciously like a camera..  
  
"Nabiki-chan? Is that you?" Akane opened up the dojo doors to see her sister with a camera in her hand.  
  
"hai"  
  
"Why are you taking pictures of me?"  
  
"You're my long lost sister! Isn't it natural that I'm just trying to get a good picture of you so I can cherish it always?" Nabiki said this, of course, in her usual business-like manner that made her sound just a little unbelievable. Akane was very perceptive, at least perceptive enough to know when someone is praying on her.  
  
"Nabiki-chan, would you come to my room for a moment? I have something I need to discuss with you." Nabiki nodded and followed Akane to her room.  
  
Once in her room, Nabiki looked around. This room used to be a guest room, but now it is Akane's. As far as Nabiki could see, it looked exactly how it was before there was a person occupying this space, exactly that is, except the battle axe lying in the corner. The more Nabiki looked around the room she realized how true her first glanced turned out to be. There was nothing hanging on the walls, the desk and dresser were barren, the bed perfectly made, and nothing on the floor. She was willing to bet that if she opened up the dresser drawers they would be empty too. The only thing that had changed was the battle axe's new resting place in the corner.  
  
Akane walked into the room. She held the door for her sister and then she closed the door while Nabiki was assessing her room. After Nabiki appeared to be quite finished eyeing her room Akane walked over to the bed and sat on it. She looked her sister who was standing in the middle of the room straight in the eye and spoke.  
  
"That picture you took of me won't come out, you know."  
  
Akane noticed her "sister" trying not to show surprise. It almost made her laugh, but she DID smirk a little.  
  
"A few years ago I had an admirer who just LOVED to take pictures of me. Sempai got so upset over this that he decided to show that person a lesson. He decided to teach me a technique that would use my ki as a protective barrier to warn me of danger. It also has an effect of blurring images on film. I've had this barrier up for so long that my body does it without thinking. There fore no one can take pictures of me without my permission" With this Akane paused to REALLY look at Nabiki she hadn't been here long, but she realized this girl hid her emotion well. Akane wasn't surprised that Nabiki's aura was filled with skepticism.  
  
"Don't believe me? Just develop the film." With that Akane patted the bed and motioned for Nabiki to join her. Nabiki sat down on the bed, but not too close to Akane. She spoke first this time.  
  
"So what's the point of this discussion?"  
  
"I have a business proposition for you." Akane could feel Nabiki's aura change. It seemed to be more intense, but more of a relaxed she-knows-how- to-handle-this aura intensity. That, and the fact that Nabiki's face now had a slight smirk on it. Akane knew that she was no business women, and that she had just thrown the ball into Nabiki's court. So to speak, but Akane was just dying to know if they were really her family or not. Akane was trying to figure out how to word the proposition, when Nabiki's patience wore out.  
  
"So what is it?"  
  
"I want you to find out if we are truly biologically related. You know, take our DNA samples to some lab for analyses. I want to know for sure that you are truly my family."  
  
"What do I get in return?"  
  
"Besides knowing beyond doubt that we are related, and depending on the results I have two separate deals for you."  
  
Nabiki quirked her eye a little almost said "oh?" but bit it back because she was wondering what her "little sister" had to offer.  
  
"If I'm not related to you, I will take you out on a shopping spree. I will treat your entire family out to dinner, thank you profusely and leave you and get out of your hair forever. If I am related to you I will let you borrow pictures of me, I will take our family out to a big dinner, and I'll give you one of my many bank accounts."  
  
Nabiki thought about the deal her "little sister" had made. It sounded sound enough, and she was curious as to whether she was actually related or not. So, why not? But before the deal was final.  
  
"What are these pictures that you speak of?"  
  
Akane's eyes let up and smiled as if at some far off fond memory.  
  
"Oh! This wonderful person I met a couple of years ago. She loves making clothes, especially for me. She insists I call her Auntie Nodoka. She's so nice, a great cook too! Well I was staying at her house, and we kind of made an agreement. She would make clothes for me as long as I sent a thank you card, a picture of me in the outfit and all the information she might need for the next time like weight or height differences. Do you want to see them?"  
  
"Sure." Why not? Might as well see what I'm going to use when we find out we're related..  
  
Akane pulled out a box. Seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn't very big, maybe the size of an average shoe box. It looked like it was wooden with a big red ribbon. Akane gently undid the red ribbon and it revealed a nasty looking lock on the box (one that would take Nabiki hours to open). Akane opened it with a key (again appearing magically out of no where) and combination. When Akane finally opened the box it took Nabiki's breath away.  
  
Inside, the box was about half full of very good of pictures of Akane. The pictures showed her wearing everything from lingerie to evening gowns. From playboy bunny suites to maid outfits. No matter what kind of outfit it was, the picture always seemed to take the viewers attention. They looked like they were professionally taken. Nabiki's hand subconsciously reached out to study the pictures when suddenly the box vanished into thin air. Akane noticed how disappointed Nabiki seemed that she couldn't get her hand on the pictures, and Akane gave Nabiki a warm friendly smile.  
  
"Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
Nabiki picked herself off Akane's bed and went to leave the room. When she was at the doorway she looked over her shoulder.  
  
"I need to 'talk' to some people down at the lab. Meet me at Doctor Tofu's office in a half hour."  
  
"Sure, see you there."  
  
Akane waited for her "sister" to leave the room before she got up. Then Akane remembered that she didn't know where Doctor Tofu's was. 'Guess I'll just have to ask Kasumi.'  
Ranma was making breakfast out in the middle of the woods.  
  
"So old man, where did you say we were going again?"  
  
Then we suddenly see that he is actually talking to the person that he has tied up, and is currently using as chair.  
  
"If you untie me I'll tell you."  
  
Figuring the old man couldn't get far, even if he decided to run away. So Ranma untied his father and impatiently waited for his father to explain why they were going to Japan, and why it was more important than finding a cure.  
  
"No where important. only to an old friend of mine's house." (under his breath with slight mumbling) "where you will marry one of his daughters" ::cough:: ::cough::  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
much violence ensued  
Akane sat on the edge of patient's bed in Doctor Tofu's office. She was looking down at herself with her legs dangling off and swinging back and forth. Nabiki was sitting in a chair. There was an awkward silence, it was a silence that only almost complete strangers could have taken up. Neither was notorious for being outgoing speakers, both preferred to let others talk, but still it was and oppressing silence that compelled even the mute to speak.  
  
"So."  
  
Akane started to say to Nabiki, when suddenly Doctor Tofu walked in the door with Betsy.  
  
"I just sent your blood samples to the lab. The results will be back in an hour."  
  
"Thank you Doctor Tofu, you can just call us at home with the results." Nabiki and Akane simultaneously started to get up to leave.  
  
"Akane, would you stay for a few minutes?"  
  
Akane looked to Nabiki to give her the answer. Nabiki gave a small nod of assent.  
  
Soun was holding a postcard. The postcard was very kawaii, it showed a panda eating bamboo. Soun didn't even notice as he read what was on it.  
  
"At last, Ranma is coming how I've waited for this day!" There was brief pause in his speech to magnify his dignified tears. "And soon, very soon, Ranma will be here! Listen up Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"  
  
Soun was in shock. His long lost daughter and future-son-in-law were coming to his house in a span of only a couple of days. He almost cringed at the thought of telling his daughters another big shocker in under a week. He hoped they didn't kill him. He tried getting images of his body being mutilated by his daughters, as he went to go find Kasumi in the Kitchen.  
  
"Kasumi, I have something important to tell you girls. Please get Nabiki and Akane for me."  
  
"But Daddy they're at Dr. Tofu's. What is it?"  
  
Kasumi turned around with a carving knife in her hand.  
  
"." ::Faints:: I wonder what's with daddy today. Is he alright?  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
Kasumi scooted her father to the nearest room and got out a futon.  
  
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??  
  
Doctor Tofu had just finished giving a check-up. The whole thing would have taken about a half an hour, but Doctor Tofu was in no hurry, and she might be related to Kasumi. So they had a pretty good conversation. They mostly talked about little nothings. He asked her how she liked it in Nerima, and how she liked Kasumi. Actually, their topic of conversation often was around Kasumi. Enough, that Akane realized that every time she said "Kasumi" his glasses would fog up a little. Enough that even the densest person could tell that Doctor Tofu had a thing for Kasumi.  
  
Anyway, it was about 45 minutes after the test results had been given to the lab. When a cell phone rang out in the lobby.  
  
"mushi mushi"  
  
"hai"  
  
"hai"  
  
"arigato gozaimasu"  
  
"ja matta"  
  
click  
  
A few seconds later there was a knock on the door where Doctor Tofu and Akane were. Then the door slid open as Nabiki came rushing in.  
  
"Akane that was a person from the lab. and you are undeniably my biological sister!"  
  
Akane didn't really know how to react. She had been training in the woods for sixteen years after all, so of course she doesn't know how to express her happiness. She did however decide that words probably wouldn't do justice to the situation. So she jumped off the patient's table and hugged her newly found sister.  
  
"I'm so.. Happy"  
  
"Hey Akane?"  
  
"Nani?" "Would you like to celebrate and go get some ice cream?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
In the late afternoon in the streets of Nerima, a red head girl was running with a full grown panda chasing right behind her. Finally, the girl turned to confront the panda.  
  
"Hey! You better cut that out!"  
  
The panda started another attack.  
  
"Yah!" The red head blocked the attack  
  
"Wah!"  
  
The red head got in a good kick and sent the Panda skidding on the asphalt on his back. The red head is breathing heavily from the work out and turns to leave. The panda got up and attacked the girl, making her skid into the next street. The red head turns and faces the panda, going into a good defensive position.  
  
"Your move!"  
  
The panda starts indiscriminately throwing punches at the red head.  
  
"Well I still say the whole thing sucks, picking my fiancée for me, without even asking!"  
  
The red head then picks up the panda and throw him. The panda crashes into a nearby sign, and breaks it.  
  
" I'm going back to China now. *SO* *SUCK* *ON* *THAT* old man!"  
  
The panda recovers from being thrown, picks up the sign, and knocks out the red head. The panda picks up the red head and continues to wherever he was intending to go.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Fiancé?" Kasumi's concerned voice cut the air like a hot knife through butter.  
  
"Yes, the son of a very good friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him, and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."  
  
"Hey! wait a minute here, don't we have a say in whom we're going to marry?" Akane sounded a little more than slightly peeved.  
  
"Maybe you should wait until you meet him. You never know, he might be really cute! Right daddy?" Nabiki gave her two cents.  
  
Soun does a nervous laugh and looks at the post card.  
  
"He should be here any minute."  
  
The family patriarch turned his back on his three daughters so that he can over look the koi pond.  
  
"Ranma and his father have been on a training mission. Recently, they've crossed into China."  
  
"So he hiked all the way to China, wow, big deal!" Akane is more than a little peeved.  
  
"Father how old is this Ranma?" Kasumi inquired.  
  
"Is he cute?" Nabiki asked.  
  
Soun gives another nervous laugh.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Nabiki's voice was accusingly flat.  
  
"I never met him"  
  
All Akane could do was stare at her father.  
  
'Oh, please, I don't believe this! I will not get mad. I will not get mad.Oh shit, they're going to marry me off aren't they? They've known me for three days and they're already marrying me off. Why? Did I do something wrong? What would Sensei have to say on this matter? He would probably say something corny like: It is not wise to kill your own family in rage; you must do anything possible to protect your family. Damn Sensei, if he only didn't make her promise never to kill or run away from her family. I don't know Nabiki seems really into this, maybe they won't marry me off after all.'  
  
The other girls are shocked into silence. A koi jumps in the pond and the good luck charm rings out in the silence.  
  
"Let go you old fool! I told you. I don't want any part of this. NOW PUT ME DOWN!"  
  
Then there was a sound of a front door sliding open. Kasumi half rises out of her kneeling position.  
  
"Sounds like we have visitors."  
  
Before Kasumi can get up Nabiki jumps up and runs out of the room.  
  
"Ooh! It must be Ranma!"  
  
"Saotome, my friend, We've been waiting!"  
  
Kasumi and Akane were left behind as they went to greet the Saotome's.  
  
"I hope he's older than me."  
  
Kasumi was right in Akane's listening range, the comment earned Kasumi an odd look from Akane.  
  
"AHHH!"  
  
Both Nabiki and Soun run from a very large panda that is just now walking into the hall. He had a very pissed off looking red head on his should, it was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl.  
  
"Come on Pops! You're scarin' them stiff less!" The voice sounded feminine, but vocal chords can be deceiving. After all, they *were* expecting a *male* guest.  
  
"So father, is this your friend?" Kasumi recovered from her shock first. Soun shook his head frantically.  
  
"Oh! So this panda just decided to drop in. Is that it, huh?" Soun wildly shakes his head. And this time adds a "nuhno, uh no" (slightly stuttered)  
  
The panda got a few feet from the Tendo family clan, when he finally put down the person he was carrying. There was an awkward silence, then Soun decided to take the situation into his own hands.  
  
"You. wouldn't be."  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this."  
  
In the background Akane is looking contemplatively at Ranma. Something is odd about him, she just couldn't place it. Her Sensei had taught her a few chi reading techniques, and this person's chi was very. odd. This sent Akane into a deep thought of where she had felt chi like his before.  
  
Meanwhile Soun was ecstatic.  
  
"At last you're here!"  
  
"OOH! He's cute!" Nabiki exclaimed.  
  
The middle aged father ran up to hug his new 'son-in-law', but then he noticed something. He felt like he was hugging one of his daughters. Why would he feel like that. As he thought about what was wrong with the boy in front of him, his hands made a female shape. Suddenly, he thought he knew what was wrong. He pushed Ranma out at arms length, and studied him closely, almost afraid of what he was about to see. Nabiki finally is knocked out of her reverie, and studies Ranma more closely. Then she does something nobody expects. She pokes Ranma's chest and then gropes it. Then she turned accusingly to her father.  
  
"Ranma's not a boy, he's a girl!"  
  
"A girl?" The shock is too great for Soun and he passes out on the floor. The last thing he hears is Kasumi's concerned voice.  
  
"Father."  
  
Soun woke up to the sounds of his daughters entertaining their guests.  
  
"Oh poor father, he must be so disappointed."  
  
"HE'S disappointed? He's not the only one! Look at her! Some fiancé."  
  
"Stop it you two! He. she is our guest."  
  
"Look everyone, father's coming to."  
  
"This is your fault daddy. Don't you know the difference between a boy and a girl?"  
  
"I assumed my friend Genma's son was a boy."  
  
To prove her point, Nabiki groped Ranma.  
  
"Excuse me, does this look like a boy to you? Huh. Daddy?"  
  
"Please, I wish you'd stop that."  
  
"You heard what she said, Nabiki, now why don't you leaver her alone? A guest is a guest."  
  
Akane had kept out of the whole situation, but something Nabiki was doing irritated her to no end. She didn't want to say anything to sever this newly found relationship with her older sister. There was something about Ranma's aura whenever Nabiki pointed out that she was a girl, that prompted Akane to speak. Besides she wanted to get this Ranma person.  
  
"Would you like to spar with me?"  
  
"huh?"  
  
"I'm Akane, would you like to be friends?" Akane transfixed Ranma with the sweetest smile she could muster.  
  
"sure."  
  
END CHAPTER  
  
Author's note: I have often noticed that people who want to rewrite what was done in the Ranma world often get really lazy, thus never finishing their really good fics! This is the only chapter (I think) that will follow the story line exactly. I want to introduce the characters the same way, so that things won't get out of hand. I actually copied down what was said. It's exactly what was said in the first tape on the first episode in the first five minutes. 


	5. San

Chapter 3  
  
Two figures were bowing in the dojo.  
  
Both figures took up a defensive stance. Akane struck first, Ranma tried to merely dodge the blow, but Akane's follow up punch hit him in the gut. Ranma winced in anticipation of the blow that would certainly knock the wind out of him, but the blow never came, just a light tap. He looked at Akane, who only smiled and winked in response. This is how their sparring match was. Neither was landing any blows, or even aiming to connect their blows. They were both lost in their thoughts, but after twenty minutes of basic attacks Akane bowed to Ranma.  
  
"You're good."  
  
Akane began to walk out of the Dojo.  
  
"I'm glad you're a girl."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm just glad you're not a boy." 'If she's a girl then they won't make us get married. I don't want to get married off on my first week of having a family. How do I even know it would be me that would be married? Well, at any rate I don't think dad is stupid enough to marry one of his daughters to a girl.'  
  
Then Akane turned around and grabbed Ranma, who just happened to have to MOST haunted expression on his face.  
  
"You'll probably be staying in my room, let me show you where it is."  
  
Akane showed Ranma to her room, and slipped off quietly to let Ranma get comfortable. Akane wanted to finish practicing before dinner. Ranma was unpacking his luggage  
  
Two men were sitting into in the room overlooking the koi pond. One of the men was Soun Tendo. The other man was a little overweight, dressed in a gi, wore glasses, and a bandana to cover his bald head.  
  
Nabiki walked by them, and gave both of them a quizzical look.  
  
Nabiki walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Kasumi? Who's that strange man in the dining room. ?"  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
With that Nabiki turned back to go to her room. "Nabiki? Could you tell Akane she can take her bath now?"  
  
Back in the dining room the two gentlemen still sat. Now, however, they had tears streaming down there faces.  
  
"So, my dear old friend Genma, that's what happened. The life of a martial artist is fraught with many perils."  
  
Ranma was sitting in the furo neck deep. 'What to do? What to do? Well I guess they they'd find out sooner or later anyway.'  
  
Just as soon as Ranma stepped to get out of the furo, Akane slipped the door open to begin taking her bath. Akane just stood there in the door way trying to get over the shock of seeing a naked male in her bath tub. Blinking, Akane didn't want to start a fight with someone that might be a family friend, or something similar. So she went to the stool and started to clean herself.  
  
Ranma was still staring, he believed that he had been dead, but his new friend didn't even raise an eyebrow at him. 'How can she be so calm? What should I do?'  
  
"Um. could you please leave now?" Akane was sitting on the stool with soap sods on her body. Her voice was void of any emotion.  
  
"Err.." That's all Ranma managed to say as a reply as he ran from the bathroom and put on clothes faster than he could ever remember.  
  
"I wonder who that was?" Akane soon stepped into the now unoccupied furo. Akane decided it definitely sucked that she couldn't tell if that guy was a friend or pervert. 'Oh, well. If he's just another pervert, he'll get what's coming to him all in good time.'  
  
Meanwhile, Ranma was contemplating again. 'What to do? What to do? Why can't life ever be simple? Should I wait here outside the door and apologize to Akane? Or should he go to her family and tell them about my curse.'  
  
Ranma decided to confront her family without her. If he didn't do it now, his resolution would fail, and that would be VERY dishonorable.  
  
". and that's how we got cursed in Jusenkyo."  
  
At that Ranma appeared in the doorway. Genma was sitting in human form talking to three of the four Tendos. Ranma was decidedly pissed that his father had explained their predicament without him. So he punched his father in the head.  
  
"And now for a demonstration."  
  
Genma grabbed Ranma by his shirt and threw him into the koi pond.  
  
A red-head female burst from the pond. "What did you do that for?!?!"  
  
"Oh the humanity! My only son is cursed to be a girl, boy you shame me!" Genma faked tears into his sleeve.  
  
"You're ashamed!?!?! My old man's a panda!"  
  
With that Ranma threw a bucket of water at his father.  
  
"." Genma had tried to explain their curses, but the actual showing them made the difference. It hit Soun like a dumb bell. His son-in-law was cursed to be a girl when in contact with cold water. Would that really be so bad? How would his daughters react? He knew he was probably going to die an early and painful death because of this. He was contemplating what to do with this situation when he heard the tea kettle whistling.  
  
Akane had taken longer in the furo than usual. She thought there was an air of preeminent doom, and it was best to stay in a nice relaxing place for as long as possible.  
  
Finally she got out and got dressed in one of nabiki's cut off shorts and tank tops. Normally, Akane wouldn't have worn clothes like this, but she needed to go clothes shopping badly. She hadn't had the time since she'd gotten 'home'.  
  
"So with hot water you change back into your original form?"  
  
"Needn't be quite so hot, Tendo."  
  
"and hot water turns you back into a boy?"  
  
"Hot water not BOILING!"  
  
With that as topic of conversation, Akane stepped into the room.  
  
"Um. What's happening?"  
  
Nabiki turned her head to Akane. "You better sit down, things are going to get interesting soon."  
  
Akane obediently sat next to her sister, bewildered at the entire situation, and hoping that she would be filled in soon.  
  
Her father, though, had ignored her entrance, forgotten she wasn't there, and/or forgot that he actually had another daughter.  
  
"Your situation isn't so bad Ranma! Pick anyone of my daughters to marry. Kasumi is nineteen, Nabiki is Seventeen, and Akane is sixteen."  
  
"No." With that Nabiki got up and headed out of the house.  
  
"I REALLY should start supper now." Kasumi headed towards the kitchen.  
  
That left a really confused Akane sitting by the table.  
  
"So, son who do you choose?" Actually it was Soun talking. Ranma's really not his son in-law yet.  
  
Akane look left and right, obvious attempts of figuring out where here sisters have gone/ who's the other choice: Figuring out that she is the only one left. Blushes and starts staring intently at the table top. 'God I wish I was out training with sensei. How could they do this to me? I've known them for five days and they already want to get rid of me?"  
  
"Um." Ranma couldn't believe that those other girls just did that to Akane.  
  
"So then it's decided, Akane's your new fiancé!" "WHAT?" both voices erupt from the room as the two older men start to bring out the Sake.  
  
Later that very same night.  
  
Akane threw herself on her bed. She was beginning to realize why Sensei had made her promise not to kill her family. Of course at the time she thought that was ridiculous, but now she saw exactly why he made her make that stupid promise. She was mulling through the days rather stressful events, when she came to a simple conclusion. Having a family is highly over rated..  
  
When suddenly there was a light tap on the door.  
  
"Come in." Akane braced herself mentally for whatever might be thrown at her.  
  
Kasumi opened the door slightly, walked in, and silently closed the door behind her.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Akane sat up slowly and let her feet dangle from the bed.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"I umm feel bad about leaving you like that. and I uh it was wrong.."  
  
It was a rare thing to see Kasumi so flustered, and it was even rarer to hear her fumble with her usually motherly words. How could Akane have known this?  
  
"Kasumi, it's ok, you don't have to be so formal around me. I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
Kasumi flinched at the words, Akane chooses to ignore this and motions to Kasumi.  
  
"Come sit down, I'd like to talk to you."  
  
Kasumi somewhat nervously walked to Akane's desk and sat on her rolling chair.  
  
Akane looked Kasumi in the eyes, and opened her mouth to say something.  
  
"."  
  
Akane had a million things going on in her head: a thousand question, a thousand complaints, and a seemingly a billion things that came crashing down upon her today. She knew she wanted to ask her sister something, but a trillion things came out at once, and so it sounded like silence. Akane quickly collected her thoughts and spouted off the first thing that came to her mind.  
  
"Kasumi, will you ever love me as you love Nabiki?  
  
"I.. I don't know.. I think that.. A little more time maybe. if only. I'll try. And you, do you love me?"  
  
"I've love you since my first breath upon this earth. I've love you since my first heart beat. The thought of having a family has kept me alive for sixteen years. I love you, Kasumi!"  
  
Akane got up and hugged her oldest sister.  
  
"And I'll always love you." Akane whispered into her ear. Akane then got up and pushed the covers away from the bed.  
  
"If you'll excuse me now, I'm very tired and would like to go to sleep."  
  
Kasumi took the queue and silently left the room and turned off the light.  
  
Not even five minutes later a second knock fell upon Akane's door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Nabiki took a step in and closed the door, but kept her hand on the door knob. She didn't even bother turning on the lights.  
  
"I just talked to dad. I've done everything I can to not have you and Ranma married tonight, and I will do everything I can in the future."  
  
"Thank you so much, Nabiki."  
  
"Hey, what's family for?"  
  
With that Nabiki stepped into the hallway, and quickly closed the door behind her. Nabiki sighed. She didn't know what to think of her newly found sister, but she did know that she didn't deserve to be sold as soon as she finally found her way home. She knew one other thing, She had put up a great fight for Akane, but her father wouldn't give in. She did the best she could, but somehow Akane isn't going to be happy. Nabiki decided to go to bed and pray that she would survive until the morning.  
  
About thirty seconds after Akane heard Nabiki's footsteps recede from her door, she heard a knock upon the door.  
  
::Sigh:: 'What does a girl have to do to get a little sleep?' "Come in."  
  
Ranma (male) stood in the doorway neither walking into the room nor making a conversation. He was just standing in the doorway in his wife beater and pair of boxers on ready for bed. Ranma just stood there.  
  
Now, Akane was usually patient, kind, and understanding but at the moment she was having one of those days. It was one of those days that nobody wishes for, the ones that your mind later glasses over, one of those days that seemed like it was come out of a bad movie. Akane just wanted to go to bed so she could wake up and thank the gods that this wasn't true. There was one person who was standing between her and sleep, and he was standing in the doorway. Akane wanted to groan, loudly, throw something at her "fiancée" and go to sleep, but something was holding her back.  
  
Meanwhile, Ranma was standing nervously in the doorway.  
  
Akane rolled on her side and picked up her head from her pillow. "Come in. Sit down. Make yourself comfortable." She didn't mean for her words to sound sarcastic/mean/harsh but after a day like this even hardened martial artists have the right to show a little emotion.  
  
Ranma slowly walked towards the desk. He finally reached the desk, pulled out the chair and sat in it. A pregnable silence ensued.  
  
Finally Ranma mumble, "Don't kill the messenger."  
  
Akane gave him a quizzical look, she almost didn't catch what he said. "What?"  
  
"Um. whenyouwereintheshowerafterdinneryoursistercamehomeandshehadanargument withourparents.Theyweretryingtogetusmarriedtonight,butshewouldherenoneofthat .They wouldn'tswayintheirdecision,soIdon'thavetomarryyouaslongasasleepwithyou."  
  
Ranma was looking at his hands and really proud that he got that out. Akane just stared blankly, for she hadn't caught a word of that.  
  
"Please repeat that."  
  
Ranma sighed because he wasn't very good at this.  
  
"Instead of marrying you tonight, I have to sleep with you indefinitely."  
  
Ranma looked up to see Akane's reaction. Her jaw was locked and her fingers were digging into the mattress, also, it was obvious that she was doing breathing exercises.  
  
Not trusting herself to talk, she got up from her bed and motioned for Ranma to get in. When he got in, she followed, except she didn't go under the sheet. "Oyasumi nasai."  
  
Akane fell asleep through pure determination to get this indescribably horrible day over with.  
  
Ranma, however found that mister sand man didn't like him tonight, so he thought about his situation. He found that thinking of everything once have him an unpleasant pressure behind his eyes. So he decided to do things in chronological order.  
  
::Flash back/ unimportant character analyses by Ranma until end of chapter in case ya like to know::  
  
"So old man, where did you say we were going again?"  
  
I just KNEW he was up to something. Why couldn't we have stayed in china and gotten a cure? I knew he was acting strange.  
  
"If you untie me I'll tell you." I should never have untied him, I should've just sold him to the zoo right then.  
  
"No where important, only to an old friend of mine's house." (under his breath with slight mumbling) "where you will marry one of his daughters" ::cough:: ::cough::  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
much violence ensued.  
  
That Stupid idiot father of mine, engaging me to people without my knowledge. I'm going to kill him in our morning sparring session in the morning.  
  
So we fought all the way here. He sure was hell bent on me coming here, I'm surprised he got that lucky shot in with the sign post. Stupid Panda.  
  
Now's when everything went from one embarrassing moment to another. Not thirty seconds after I was conscious I was dragged into the Tendo Dojo Compound. Soun had mistaken me for a boy in my girl form and Nabiki GRABBED.MY..BOOB. and then she and then she and then she. I guess it would be easier if I thought about everybody in the Tendo family separately starting from oldest to youngest.  
  
Mr. Tendo is a little melodramatic, and he's out of shape. He seems quite out of touch in many ways.  
  
Kasumi is nice, but apparently likes only older men. I didn't really get the chance to know her, but I guess if I'm staying for a prolonged period of time. I'll get to know her better.  
  
Nabiki, I don't know what to think of her. She, she, grr, SHE GRABBED MY BOOB not only that, but she GRABBED THEM MULTIPLE TIMES and she wasn't gently either. What kind of girl goes up and grabs other girl's boobs? She grabbed my boobs to MAKE A POINT. After she found out about my curse she just looked at me weirdly and pawned me off to her younger sister..  
  
::Ranma sighed, making Akane change her position slightly making herself comfortable::  
  
Of course, then there is Akane. I don't know what to think of her. From what I've seen today, she seems different. She didn't seem eager to meet her "fiancée", hah like anyone could blame her, but she didn't let it show. She treated me like any other guest that would have been in her house. She wasn't like Nabiki who invaded my space, or Kasumi who wanted to distance herself from me. She seemed to almost warm up to me. She seemed rather quite and shy though. Then she did something I haven't had done to me for a long time. She stood up for me! Then she wanted to be my friend! I was so happy, I almost forgot about my curse, it felt so good to have a friend. It was awkward to spar with a girl, but man she's good. I'd say we're pretty even. Though I'd have to spar seriously with her to actually know. What am I thinking? I can't hit her, she's a girl. Not matter how good she is, she is female, I can't bring myself to not pull my punches.  
  
::Ranma sighs again, this time Akane moved her arm so that it was draped across his chest and her head was on his other arm::  
  
Kawaii, how does she do that? When we were sparring I thought she was going to try and beat me, but all she wanted to do was be friendly. I've never felt so comfortable with a girl in my life, especially in my cursed form. I wonder what she meant when she said she was glad I'm a girl. She probably just didn't want to be engaged yet. I mean a nice and beautiful person like her can get anybody she desires, I mean with her body..  
  
In short summary of the next couple of hours of Ranma's flashback: Ranma spends the rest of the night thinking of a naked Akane. He dwells on the naked Akane because the rest of the night had been pure hell. Might as well focus on the good.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Are these required? They should be called Author's After thoughts. My opinion. Nobody cares. So why have an author's space in a fan fiction? It has nothing to do with the story. Well. I expect that it will get easier with the first day over with. The first day is the hardest, (BTW I'm terribly sorry about basically having them meet in the same manner with the same spoken lines, but why fix it if it ain't broken. I did it because it will fit in my story later on.) It's no down hill ride from here. ::sweat drop:: I should hope so after having this particular fic. Stuck in my head for close to seven years.  
  
If you're ever genuinely confused, or something's eating at you, Review me and tell me. I'll go back, look at it, and (maybe) change it. 


	6. Shi

Word to the wise: any little squiggly line-type thing going across the screen depicts a sudden scene change, and not just a perspective change. You'll know when you see it, I trust in you! Everything else should be easy to figure out. 'thoughts' "Dialog" ::action:: etc  
  
Chapter 4  
  
It's four in the morning and Akane woke up before her alarm clock. Her brain was staring to function, and it was a matter of time before her eyes and muscles woke up too. Now, she was used to sleeping on the ground or in a tent or in a tree or in a cave or etc. She wasn't used sleeping on a nice mattress. Sensei had always said it would make her soft, and she didn't want to be soft. Out of all the (few) times she had ever slept in a real bed, she could never remember it feeling quite like this. First of all, she usually wasn't this comfortable. Secondly she didn't think that her pillow should be moving up and down in a rhythmic movement, she felt like she was in bed with a pet, but she didn't think her family had a pet. Thirdly, She never thought a blanket could be wrapped around her like that, it was almost like some one was holding her. oh wait.  
  
Akane opened one eye, and she jumped. Why was there a male in HER bed? Then like a wall of bricks colliding with a motorcyclist going REALLY fast, she remembered the events of the day before. Akane felt a strong urge to just go back to sleep, but once a martial artist is up it's hard to put them down.  
  
'NOW what do I do? Should I wake him? Is he expecting me to wake him? Does he want to spar? Should we spar? Well. there's only one thing to do now. Wake him up!"  
  
So Akane went to go wake Ranma up. Akane tried to whisper in his ear "Ranma. Ranma? It's time to wake up!" She tried shaking him: "Honestly how deep of a sleeper are you?" She didn't want to slap him, because NOBODY likes getting awakened like that, she knew. "Maybe the feeling of something cold will wake you?" With that, Akane leaned under her bed and grabbed a dagger. She proceeded to touch the naked blade to his throat. There was still no response. "What kind of whacked danger sense does he have anyway? Oh, I know!" Akane got on the other side of Ranma and shoved him right off the bed. Ranma landed on the ground in a unceremonious heap, but it got the results she wanted.  
  
"Ungh?"  
  
"Ranma."  
  
Ranma was still on the ground trying to figure out where he was and why. So his speech left much to be desired.  
  
"Ungh?"  
  
"Let's go spar."  
  
Instead of responding to Akane verbally, still confused as to his surroundings, he just hefted himself up and walked with a heavy foot out the door.  
  
30 seconds later in the dojo.  
  
The two teenagers bowed to each other.  
  
2 hours later in the dojo  
  
Despite the fact that Akane had borrowed this pair of pajamas from Nabiki and was trying to not ruin them. She was still whipping Ranma's butt. Apparently Ranma isn't a morning person. (probably understatement)  
  
Ranma and Akane were in a series of complicated attacks, when Ranma got a HUGE hole in his defenses (probably due to the time of the day) and was flown into the wall, and he didn't get up.  
  
Akane walked over to Ranma, and since he was sitting up, she sat down in front of him. Then she decided that lying down seemed to be more comfortable.  
  
They where both breathing heavily, and it was a few minutes before either of the spoke.  
  
"So." Ranma started.  
  
"MMmm?"  
  
"Did you father train you?"  
  
Akane smirked and felt like laughing. He must be joking.  
  
"Heavens, no!"  
  
"Who did?"  
  
Akane lost her smile, and she thought before she answered.  
  
"Promise not to tell anyone? Or think any differently of me?"  
  
"I promise upon my word as a martial artist."  
  
Akane got up and move closer to Ranma. She looked deep into his eyes as she answered.  
  
"I was trained by the person that my father sold me to."  
  
Ranma blinked, he couldn't believe that someone was that cold hearted to sell his child not only once, but twice.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you wind up back with your family?"  
  
"I don't mind. I don't really know much. Apparently something happened to change the original contract. So six days ago Sensei told me I had a family and that I was going to live the rest of my life with them. Five days ago I met them. Yesterday I was sold, again, to you." ::sigh:: "Seems like a never ending cycle for me." Akane was beginning to feel depressed. "Ranma, mind if I ask you something?"  
  
"Ranma, Akane breakfast is ready!" Kasumi's voice rang out from the breakfast table.  
  
"Later." "Hai."  
  
They both stood up and trotted toward the food laden table. Ranma was about to sit down when a white blur kicked Ranma. Ranma flew a good five feet across the lawn and into the koi pond.  
  
"You're getting sloppy boy!" Genma stood triumphantly, but not for long.  
  
"Sloppy, This!" Ranma chucked the wash bin filled with water at his father. It hit him directly in the face. Instant panda.  
  
"Oh my, looks like Mr. Saotome will need a different breakfast." Kasumi laid a huge bin of bamboo on the table. ::everyone at the table face- faults::  
  
Akane, who was standing next to the table watching the entire thing with a mild interest, was wondering if that's how people are normally trained. 'Oh well, Sensei's method is just as good, and it doesn't involve pissing people off.'  
Ranma and Genma are walking out of the furo and onto the porch, they are arguing rather loudly.  
  
"Well, we are going to be staying awhile."  
  
"What about what I think!!?!? Don't I get to have some say in this, who died and made you boss!?!? YAH!!" A more than slightly irritated Ranma kicked his father into the koi pond. "So there."  
  
Nabiki runs out of the house and around Ranma.  
  
"Hi there! You'll be going to the same school as Akane and me. See you later!" "Nabiki, wait I'll go with you!"  
  
"What are you talking about? Ranma is YOUR Fiancée, remember? YOU should walk him to school!"  
  
"Hey, Nabiki, That's not fair!"  
  
Akane runs out the door and into Ranma. Ranma is a little stunned that she just nudged him slightly with her shoulder, so his intelligent response was. "Huh?"  
  
"Well, Come on then, let's get going!" :: Slight Pause:: "What are you waiting for? I'll just go alone." Akane heads for the door.  
  
"Well, maybe I'm not ready to leave for school yet.!"  
  
A panda dramatically hands his son a book-bag  
  
"Ok! Ok! Fine I'll go!"  
  
Akane was half-running/half jogging it's somewhere between a jog and a run, while Ranma was slightly behind her on the metal fence.  
  
"Why are we in such a hurry?"  
  
"Don't you have to get registered today?"  
  
Finally, they were about three blocks away from the high school, when Ranma noticed something. Usually people do this in Italy, but it's still effective in Japan, A person had baked broken glass bottles and bob-wire into the top of their cement wall. Ranma decided to hop down for the rest of the trip to school so that he could avoid getting holes in his shoes. As soon as Ranma jumped down though.  
  
He got splashed with water. Akane laughed, not a mean malicious laugh, nor a giggle or a rolling on the ground insane laughter. It was simply an amused laugh. Ranma just sighed and turned towards the direction he came from."  
  
"You just attract water like no tomorrow don't you?"  
  
Ranma Nodded in acknowledgement, he had never noticed being splashed with cold water before his curse.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm going home and taking a bath."  
  
"We don't have enough time, you'll have to go to a place I know and ask for water."  
  
"Ok, I guess, as long as I'm not a girl when I arrive to school."  
  
They continue their walk, though this time in the direction of Doctor Tofu's office. Fortunately, it's on the way to the school, it is only about a block's walk before they got to his office.  
  
"Thank you so much, Doctor Tofu."  
  
"My pleasure, come back anytime!"  
  
Looking up right after they left Doctor Tofu's, there was a digital billboard with a clock on it, as they walked up to the school the clock changed from 8:25 to 8:26  
  
The rest of the run/walk to school both parties kept their mouths shut, and were in relative deep thought. That was. until they got in sight of the school gates.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I've been having a problem with school, and I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my business."  
  
"ok." 'How bad could it possibly be?'  
  
As soon as this thought process ended, two hordes of boys blocked the entrance way. Ranma, not sure what was happening, decided to jump unto the pillar of the front gate and watch. What he saw amazed him. Akane was beating over fifty boys, and was winning.  
  
"She's something else! What's she doing?"  
  
"Ranma, quit gawking and get to class, I've already reregistered you. Better get moving or you're going to be late!" Nabiki shouted from the second story, which was more or less eye level with Ranma.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but what about."  
  
"It's ok, she knows what she's doing. This happens every morning."  
  
"oh." Ranma mumbled to himself. He looked down and smiled. Akane was just beating up her last attacker, and judging from the looks of her, she was holding back, a lot. Ranma decided to jump down from the pillar.  
  
"Yo Akane! What was all this about?"  
  
"I'll tell you later"  
  
A rose flew through the air, and Akane caught it like it was nothing. ::sigh:: Ranma thought that Akane looked a little. a little green when she caught the rose.  
  
"An earthlier happy is the rose distilled than that which withering on the virgin thorn grows lies, lives, and dies in a single blessing-ness. These, WEAKLINGS, what a boorish lot, truly. They fought for the privilege of your company, Akane. If they managed to defeat you, that is. What fools! These mortals be."  
  
"Um, Kuno, excuse us."  
  
Kuno barred her way with his bokken.  
  
"Oh! Though she be but little, she is fierce! Wilt though spar with me?"  
  
"Not right now kuno."  
  
"Man, you sure are popular with the guys around here." Ranma commented next to Akane.  
  
"you there!"  
  
"hmm?"  
  
"Aren't you being awfully familiar with Akane?"  
  
"Yeah well, but." Ranma looked at Akane to help him fill in the blank, but Akane was pissed that Ranma had managed to set Kunou off.  
  
"Yeah, but what? Ranma?"  
  
"Who do you think you are, insolent whelp? Tell me how you know Akane."  
  
"Well. I. uh.. I"  
  
"Wait!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Is it not custom to give ones own name first? Fine then, My Name I shall give." Kuno took in a deep breadth. "I am the undefeated captain of this school's kendo club, the rising new star of the fencing world. The sound of my voice strikes fear into the hearts of my enemies. My peers call me Blue Thunder of Furinkan high!" The thunderstorm, which is most of the reason why Akane was trying to get into the school building, was steadily approaching. As Kuno made this last statement, a thunderbolt appeared in the sky.  
  
"Tatewaki Kuno, age seventeen."  
  
Meanwhile, Nabiki and her three friend were standing on the second floor; they heard everything that is going on.  
  
"Did he just call himself Blue Thunder?" "Have you heard that?" "Nope, It's news to me."  
  
(back to main scene)  
  
"Well.. I .. um.. I.. uh.umm I'm staying with the Tendo Martial Arts Training Hall."  
  
"Staying with the Tendos? Under the same roof as Akane? I shall never allow that!" Kuno attacks Ranma. Ranma all of a sudden seems to be more confident as he leaps out of the block, and does a flip while introducing himself.  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Martial Arts. Here hold my bag a sec." Ranma lands in a defensive stance. "I accept you challenge."  
  
"Not until after school." Akane walks over to Ranma and drags him into the building. They get inside the building just in time, because the rain began as soon as the were inside.  
  
"Why did you do that for!?!?" Ranma yelled at Akane.  
  
"Well, I." ::BEEEEP:: the tardy bell rang. "Never mind."  
  
Both Ranma and Akane walked into homeroom two minutes late. Akane went to her seat, while Ranma stood front of the class.  
  
"I see that we have a new student. He just came back from China. Everybody give him a nihao welcome. You'll be sitting next to Tendo-san. Even though it is your first day, it is no excuse for being tardy, you and Tendo san go out in the hallway."  
  
They were both standing with a bucket in there hand.  
  
"This is all your fault!"  
  
"How could it be my fault, it was." The class shushed him "it was your fight." He said in a lower tone.  
  
"And we would've been on time, if you hadn't set Kuno off on one of his speeches."  
  
"Yeah, what was that all about anyway?"  
  
::sigh:: "I'll tell you, but you promise not to laugh?"  
  
"It was when I arrived here a few days ago. Kuno made this STUPID speech.  
  
#flashback#  
  
"The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure. If you wish to take Akane out, You must defeat her in combat. I, Tatewaki kuno, will permit no other terms. NOW AM I MAKING MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR?"  
  
In the back ground there was a banner that said "Speech contest!"  
  
#present time#  
  
Ranma face-faults. "Wow."  
  
".and so I fight them every morning."  
  
Things were silent for a really long time.  
  
Meanwhile in a different part of the school..  
  
"Fiancé? He's HER fiancé?!?!"  
  
"Uh huh, my daddy and his daddy decided. Akane's going to marry Ranma."  
  
"NNOOO. Not Ranma!" Kuno, who is now dressed in a school uniform, decided to make a simple conversation into a class disruption. The teacher threw an eraser at Kuno.  
  
"Kuno, go stand in the hall!"  
Meanwhile, back to the two tardy students  
  
All that could be heard was the monotone drone from the teacher. Ranma eyed Akane nervously. He contemplated what he should say, every thought that went through his mind, he shot down because he knew he would get beaten for the comment. He finally decided what to say, and began to open his mouth when.  
  
::Splash::  
  
"Hey!" Ranma avoided the water thrown at him with ease.  
  
"I shall never allow it!"  
  
"nononononononono" A joint and completely futile attempts of both Ranma and Akane to shut up Kuno, complete with the hand motions.  
  
"I shall never accept you engagement to Akane Tendo!"  
  
Suddenly the two sliding walls came open. All the students of the class were crowding. They were shouting various congratulations, sexual comments, and curses. They hadn't really known Akane, but the entire school had practically fallen for her. There were plenty of broken hearts of glass that day. Apparently not Kuno's heart, for his is made out of some sort of plastic. That's another story.  
  
Kuno attacked Ranma. Ranma dodged, but his water bucket was split clean in half. Ranma got into a defensive position. Then Ranma got an idea.  
  
"This is no place to fight. Follow me." Ranma started to jog past Kuno.  
  
"I shall follow." Kuno ran after Ranma, and left the crowd in their dust. Everybody just stood and stared after the receding figures.  
  
"Who do they think their kidding?" Akane threw her bucket down and ran after the two boy, everybody else followed.  
  
"Here's a nice short-cut!" Ranma had been running when he spotted the open window.  
  
Akane had the urge to point out that this was the third floor, but she thought that he new, and didn't want to be captain obvious.  
  
"Hey, this is the third floor!" Some random student exclaimed.  
  
"They're just lucky that there's a pool down there to break their fall."  
  
Ranma finally looked down to see the huge swimming pool that he was imminently going to land into. "Water! Why does it always have to be water?" Ranma held his breath as he got ready for a landing.  
  
Kuno, who just now noticed that he was on passing he second floor, looked down. His eyes bugged out and he soon did a humongous belly flop into the water.  
  
Akane looked down at the unconscious figure lying at the top of the water face down, and sighed. 'I better get some water.'  
  
Nobody even noticed. Anyway. back to the action.  
  
"I gotta get out of her!" Ranma-chan exclaimed in the water at the bottom of the pool, so it sounded just liked when you gurgle water and try to say something.  
  
"Saotome." Kuno, was apparently not so unconscious as we thought he was, made a grab towards Ranma, who was currently swimming not too far below him. He grabbed his boob.  
  
"Pervert!" Ranma screamed as she flung Kuno out of the pool and head-first into the cement.  
  
Ranma ran towards the woods in the back of the school.  
  
"Did Saotome look shorter when he left the pool?" said a random person.  
  
"You need to get your eyes checked!" was the response.  
Akane ran as fast as she could without being seen towards the woods. She found Ranma there in a tree. He (currently she) had taken off his pants and was now wringing them out.  
  
"Hey stupid-head!"  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
"You heard what I said. Why are you picking fights with Kuno during school, anyway baka."  
  
"I'd rather be a baka than a macho tomboy!"  
  
"So you don't want this?" Akane raised up the hot tea kettle, and started to leave.  
  
"Wait, Akane, I'm sorry!"  
  
"Where art thou, vile Saotome?"  
  
"Here! Catch this! I'll fight Kuno while you change back." Akane threw the tea kettle no-too-accurately and made Ranma lose his balance. He didn't fall out of the tree out of pure will and the grasp he had with his feet.  
  
"Kuno!"  
  
"My fair Akane Tendo you have come to challenge me? All right, but if I win you will have the honor of dating me!" "Who said I wanted to date you?" Akane almost screamed as she jump kicked Kuno in the head. Akane then dodges everything that Kuno throws at her while buying Ranma time. Finally, though, she got bored and simply kicked Kuno through the air in hopes that he would land somewhere far off.  
  
Ranma had just gotten his balance, and was about to poor the contents of the kettle over his head, when Kuno landed head first on the tea kettle.  
  
"You wouldn't have happened to see Saotome have you? That man is no man at all!" Ranma merely lets go of the tea kettle. "That hurt you know." Ranma jumps out of the tree and onto the face of Kuno.  
  
"So you challenge me? I accept, but if you win I will allow you the honor of going on a date with me!" Kuno slashes at Ranma.  
  
"Eww!!"  
  
Ranma leaps onto the bokken and kicks Kuno in the face.  
  
"That didn't hurt you know." Kuno falls on his back. Ranma takes Kuno's Bokken and walks away with Akane. "Guess what? Ranma's even better than I am!"  
  
While Ranma and Akane are walking home, Akane spots a nice park and they go in and find a bench to sit on. They both sit there for a few minutes taking in the scenery.  
  
"Akane?"  
  
"hai."  
  
"Thank you for helping me today."  
  
"Not a problem, ano, Do you mind if I ask you the question from earlier?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
Akane fidgeted, obviously at a loss at how to word her question.  
  
"I..uh.. I. err. about yesterday." ::sigh:: "I just can't do this."  
  
Akane shifts so that she is looking directly at Ranma.  
  
"I'm not ready to get married yet."  
  
Ranma gets the look of 'look at me I'm a deer, and are those headlights I see?' his eyes are like saucers and he is on the verge of mental breakdown. Akane runs her hand through her hair.  
  
"That's not a question is it?" 'oh why didn't Sensei teach me more communication skills?' "I mean, I hardly know you, hell, I hardly know my own family. What are we going to do about this?" Akane waits, and there's no response. "Ranma, are you going to answer?" Akane saw Ranma's expression of I'm-out-of-it and did what she thought she must. She pushed Ranma off the bench.  
  
"Huh? There's no way I'm getting married!" Ranma sprang up and yelled at Akane.  
  
"Glad to see that we're in agreement." Akane looked at Ranma with amusement. "Now what are we going to do?"  
  
"What do you meant "what are we going to do?" Ranma is almost going hysterical.  
  
"Well, we can't go around pretending to hate each other and calling each other names just to prove how STUPID this whole engagement is. That would be pointless and destructive, and frankly I don't have the energy to pick battles that can't be won. What CAN we do?"  
  
Ranma sits on the bench. "Maybe if I go back to China." Ranma catches the look that Akane gives him.  
  
"No you don't! Do you have any idea what would happen to me if you left? They will not only not let me get married EVER. They would either disown me or make me find you. No_thank_you. You're staying here until we are released of this stupid thing!"  
  
"So, what do YOU suggest?" Ranma asked haughtily.  
  
Akane smiled. "I think we should make the best of the situation."  
  
"You mean that we should act like fiancées?"  
  
"No, not exactly."  
  
"What do you mean then?"  
  
"I mean we should ignore what our parents have imposed on us, and have a relationship that's more than friendship and less than being engaged."  
  
Ranma sat there turning the last statement in his head. "So, would you like to be my girlfriend?"  
  
Akane blushes. "Well, I've never had one before, okay, but only if you want to be my boyfriend."  
  
"Sure, Why not? Now what do we do?"  
  
"Go home?"  
  
Both Ranma and Akane head home silently.  
  
"Hey Akane!" Akane was in the dojo sparring with Ranma.  
  
"What is it Nabiki?" Nabiki was now visible in the doorway.  
  
"The postman just left to HUGE boxes outside, and there for you."  
  
"Oh, good, I was expecting them. Ranma, I'll spar with you later."  
  
Akane brought the boxes up to her room and opened them. There was a letter inside the bigger of the boxes. It read:  
  
Dear Akane-chan, I received your letter. I'm so happy that you've finally found your family! I have finally collected enough clothing to mail to you. From the description of your last fight with Sensei, there's no wondering why NONE of you clothes survived. How's you do you like you family? I expect to hear about everything!  
  
Nodoka-san  
  
Akane looked at her new wardrobe and smiled.  
  
"Akane?"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"Supper's ready!"  
  
"I'll be right there!"  
  
By the time Akane came down stairs Ranma and Genma were already grappling over food. Akane sat down and quietly ate. When she was done she looked at Nabiki right in the eyes.  
  
"Nabiki, would you help me after supper?"  
  
"What is it." "I need help going through the packages I got today."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Nabiki and Akane left, while Ranma and his father were still fighting over the last piece of meat.  
  
Later, that very same night, Ranma is neck deep in the furo. 'NOW what have I gotten myself into? NOW I have a girlfriend. I GUESS that's better than having a fiancé, but it's practically the same thing. We can't even break up with each other IF we wanted to. Not that I want to break up with her or anything. gar what am I thinking. What am I thinking? Well, unfortunately staying here in this furo won't solve any of my problems. Maybe I should get out now before I become pruned. I should probably talk to Akane before going to bed.'  
  
Ranma went upstairs after getting dressed and outside of the door of 'Akane's' bedroom. He had heard another voice in the room, he didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Ranma was just about to leave when something made his ears perk up.  
  
Nabiki: "So, what do you think about Ranma?"  
  
Akane: "What's there to think? I haven't even been able to talk him about much of anything yet."  
  
"You haven't talked to him yet? What did you two do last night?"  
  
"Slept."  
  
"Really? What about this morning? Or after school?"  
  
"Oh, that's right! We DID talk after school. I told him I wasn't ready to be married, and we decided that instead of being engaged we'll try and go out instead. Do you think Daddy will let us do that?"  
  
"He will now."  
  
"Akane, if you don't mind me asking, What do you think of Ranma's curse?"  
  
"What's there to think about it? Sensei always told me that cursed people are always either the most honorable or least honorable people you'll ever meet."  
  
"Have you ever been cursed?"  
  
"Twice, neither were permanent, but sometimes I still get side effects."  
  
"What were they?" "It's against the code of Martial Artists to reveal their own weaknesses."  
  
"I'm your sister, you can trust me."  
  
Akane giggled a short giggled and stopped. There was a complete silence in the room. Suddenly the door flew open, revealing Ranma in front of the door, his hand was still raised as if to knock on it.  
  
"Come on in, if you're going to listen to the conversation you might as well be apart of it."  
  
"."  
  
Ranma was stunned. Akane was standing before him in the most beautiful dress he had ever seen. It was a red Chinese with a yellow flower design, and it fit her like it was painted on her body.  
  
"Are you coming in or are going to stay out there all night?"  
  
Ranma walked in a little dumbfounded. He took in the scene unfolding before him. The Two boxes were empty, piles of clothes everywhere, and sitting on top of the bed was Nabiki in her pajamas.  
  
"Uh, What's going on?"  
  
"Auntie sent me new clothes today."  
  
"Why is Nabiki taking pictures?"  
  
"Because Auntie want to know how they look on me. Would you like to sit on the bed and watch the rest? I only have three more out fits to try on."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Ranma sat down on the bed, careful to avoid Nabiki and the pile of undergarments sitting on the bed.  
  
"Ok, Ranma, Now close your eyes."  
  
Ranma did as he was told, for he was a genuine gentleman, while Nabiki stared at Ranma in disbelief that he was actually NOT peeking.  
  
"How do I look?"  
  
Akane was wearing a blue bathing suit. The bathing suit had a little back it was like a sports bra, and her back was completely exposed. There was a little strap hanging over her hips connecting the front of her suit to her back part. In the front, There was a zipper that went from her belly button to the top, and on the right side in English letters were the words 'Body Glove'.  
  
Out of all the times Ranma had ever been to the beach, he could not remember a better fitting bathing suit. 'Body Glove' was the exact right word for it. Ranma's mind was on overload from seeing his new girlfriend in the two most beautifully elegant yet-oh-so-provocative outfits he had ever seen. Just then the click of the camera brought him out of lala land.  
  
"Ok, shut your eyes again."  
  
A few seconds later, Akane has adorned herself in a jogging outfit. It has short-short and regular tee-shirt and matching sweat band. It was so cute that Ranma thoughts were along the lines of 'if I die now I'm a happy man."  
  
Again, another minute later, Akane was wearing something else. This time, it was a pajama set. It had a long sleeve yellow shirt with a pattern of curly Q's and blue pigs, it also had matching pants. Nabiki was about to take the picture when Akane stopped her.  
  
"Wait! Ranma will you join me?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Auntie will probably so happy to know what my boyfriend looks like."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Ranma went up and posed for the picture. A minute later there were good nights being said and light being turned off. Fifteen minutes after that there were two sleeping forms in one room, and the sound of money being counted in another.  
End Chapter  
  
AR: Author's Ramblings/Response/Rant  
  
I hope I can do this ::sweat drop:: writing is SO much harder than reading. I hope that others can tell what I'm trying to say. I also hope it isn't too mechanical, I hope I'm not confusing anyone. ::made sense to ME:: ::shrugs:: I take this time to apologize for the rushing in the beginning. I was only trying to get the characters together so that *I* wouldn't be so confused. When trying to write multiple scenes at one time it's rather hard to look back and make sure everything correlates. I pinky swear that when most of the characters have been introduced, I'll do more character development. It's HARD to do both development and trying to keep the story moving. Not that I'm complaining. Why did I pick such a long complicated fic for my first try? ::sigh:: We'll just have to grin and bear it.  
  
::end babbling session:: 


	7. Go

Chapter Five  
  
Ranma was having very scary dream. Despite the fact that the ending of the day hadn't been so bad, he was still disturbed about Kuno. It was near the end of the horrible dream when Ranma was kicked out of the bed.  
  
"Let's spar."  
  
Ranma noiselessly got up and headed towards the dojo.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Ranma is getting his ass whooped. I mean he just doesn't stand a chance, he gets flung across the dojo, gets up and thirty seconds later he is flung to the other end. Of course WE know it because of how early it is ::wink:: ::wink::. Finally, Akane got bored with tossing her half awake fiancé around the dojo, and they both sat in the far corner of the dojo talking.  
  
"So, Akane?"  
  
"Would you like to go on a date with me?"  
  
"Sure, when?"  
  
"I don't really have anything planned, how about after school today?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Ranma! Akane! Breakfast is ready!"  
  
Early in the morning in another part of the world.  
  
"Aargh! Where the hell am I now!?!?" said the little lost boy in the middle of the Sahara desert. "Damn you Ranma! This is all you fault!"  
  
We now realize that this boy has been going in a big circle for the last three hours, and instead of wasting time pondering how you can walk in the same circle without noticing, we'll go back to the main story.  
  
Ranma was sitting in his seat at school. He was currently staring at the back of Akane's head, who happened to be sitting right in front of him.  
  
'Where should I take her? Argh. I don't even know what sort of stuff there is to do in this town. I wonder where she would like to go. What would make her happy? I'm no good at this. Exactly how many times have I even had a decent conversation with females on the road? Ok let's see, I bet you I could count them on my hands with a couple of fingers removed. That's a bit off topic though, concentrate! My god how can I show her a good time without sacrificing my good time? I think we should go to dinner and the movies, but I don't even know where the theater is! I wonder if she knows?'  
  
As you can see, Ranma was a little stressed by his first date, and there was going to be no appeasement until after school, when the date actually began. He would think of something, eventually.  
  
Akane could feel Ranma's eyes bore into the back of her head. It made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. For some reason her battle senses were going crazy, but Akane knew she wasn't in danger from him. After all, he was taking her out not punching her out. Akane spent the rest of the day feeling uncomfortable because Ranma's eyes never left the back of her head.  
"Where the hell am I now?"  
  
Rouga was getting a little more than frustrated. He had been walking in circles in the desert for hours, and now, suddenly he was in the middle of a city. He decided to ask for directions. He stopped the nearest person by the collar and hefted him up off the ground.  
  
"WHERE IS FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL!" Ryouga practically shouted at this perfect stranger."  
  
The perfect stranger gave Ryouga a 'you're a dumb-ass' look and pointed. Ryouga looked in the direction of the pointed finger. It just so happens that Ryouga had been standing next to a sign that read..  
  
"Fu.ri.ka..n High School. I made it. BWAHAHAHA!" Ryouga dropped the stranger and laughed manically. "Could you tell me, do you know where Ranma Saotome is?" The stranger was exasperated as he pointed his finger again.  
  
This time the strange pointed at Ranma and Akane. They were walking side by side silently.  
  
"PREPARE TO DIE!!"  
  
Much to the relief of the nervous couple, this person seemed dead set on ruining their day out. It's not that they DIDN'T want to go on this 'date', but it's just something that neither was rather comfortable with. So when the stranger yelled they both went into dodged the attack and waited, each hoping that it would be them that would be challenged.  
  
"Ranma Saotome, for the hell you have put me through I will make you pay!"  
  
Akane sighed at this statement, and Ranma just smirked as he dodged this strangers onslaught of attacks. "Today is the day that you shall meet your doom, Ranma Saotome!"  
  
"and you are?"  
  
Akane snapped her head around at Ranma and gave him a semi-glare. "You don't know his name? Why are you letting him attack you when you haven't even been introduced yet? Hmph men, you're all idiots." With that, Akane assumed that their date was going to be called off, headed off toward home.  
  
"Akane! Wait! I'll get this settle and we can do something later. At least stay and watch." Akane turned around to Ranma and gave him a questioning stare, but Ranma at that point was too intent on trying to dodge all of this person's attacks."  
  
"Listen, whoever you are, this is no place to fight. Why don't we fight somewhere else, like the soccer field."  
  
"Revenge knows neither time nor place!"  
  
"Revenge? Revenge for what? Anyway no matter how pressing this may be for you, an open field is WAY better to fight in than this walkway to school." And with that, Ranma ran towards the soccer field. He didn't run fast, only fast enough so that the other person could just barely see him at all times. Akane decided to run after the two, because, if for no other reason, he was her date for the night. Ten minutes later the entire school population plus some were sitting in the grass on the other side of the fence. Nabiki headed the gambling that was taking place. "Place your bets, Place your bets! Who will win, Our very own Ranma Saotome or this mysterious new stranger? Place your bets!"  
  
Meanwhile on the battle field..  
  
"Ranma for the hell that you have put me through, you will pay!"  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
"Because you ran away from our fight like the coward you are, I am now experiencing hell!"  
  
"What are you talking about?!? I've never run away from a figh... Ryouga?"  
  
Instead of answering Ryouga tried to punch Ranma in the face.  
  
"Ryouga! Long time no see! It's good to see you! Sorry about that man. I waited for you for four days."  
  
"But when I arrived on the fifth day you had already ran away with your father to China!"  
  
"Ryouga, the lot was directly behind your house. What took you so long?"  
  
"Shut up! Don't tease me!"  
  
'Man this guy's sense of direction is worse than I thought. Still, I was only teasing him back in middle school. I thought we were friends.. WHAT THE.. HEY!'  
  
Those were the exact thoughts Ranma had as Ryouga decided to handcuff the two of them together with fishing line in the middle.  
  
"What did you do that for?"  
  
"Now you can't run away! You'll be forced to face me like a real man!"  
  
'heh! Yeah right! More like so that I won't get lost. I could have fun with that.' Ranma started running for the fence dragging Ryouga along like he was a little lost puppy dog. Akane left the main crowd and followed the two fighters at a safe distance.  
  
They continued fighting down the street, until Ryouga punched a light pole making the base shatter. Ryouga used the pole as a make-shift bat. He got in a good blow, unfortunately he forgot they were both attached. They both went flying toward the fountain in the middle of the Nerima Zoo. Finally, the pressure was too much on the fishing line and it snapped. Sending Ranma into the fountain and Ryouga landed next to it with his umbrella drawn to avoid getting drenched.  
  
"Now look what you've done!"  
  
Ranma immerged from the water fountain and was obviously mad at his/her change of gender.  
  
"Uh, do I know you miss?"  
  
"Ryouga! It's me, the man that you want revenge on." Ranma was attacking ferociously. He ended the statement with an uppercut aimed at Ryouga's head.  
  
"Ranma? How?"  
  
Ranma and Ryouga continue to exchange blows as Ranma clues Ryouga in on his curse.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
You know the flashback, so I'm not going to repeat it AGAIN.. Besides I'm lazy. (  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Akane arrived at the scene just in time to hear the tail end of the flashback, but stayed under the shade of the trees because she didn't want to interrupt the fight.  
  
"Go ahead and laugh if you want.."  
  
"Hehehe YOU think THAT'S bad? Compared to the hell you've put me through, you're curse is a walk through the park. Now Die!!!"  
  
During his little speech, Ryouga had been pulling access bandanna's from his bandanna, and now he threw their razor edge pieces of cloth at Ranma's head. Ranma dodged the projectiles, and the fight was on.  
  
Something that I probably should have mentioned earlier, but now is a perfectly good time as any.  
  
Meanwhile at the monkey exhibit around the corner from the now infamous waterfoutain, a young girl by the name of Kasumi Tendo was enjoying an outing. She had won free tickets at the supermarket, and they expired tomorrow. Today was a wonderful day to spend at the Zoo. It wasn't too hot, neither was it chilly, it was cloudy out but at least the sun wasn't burning her up. Kasumi heard a noise from around the corner. 'Oh my! Maybe the zoo is having an educational talk!' Kasumi loved nature, so she walked briskly hoping to catch the better half of the discussion. When she rounded the corner she found something unexpected. First of all, half of the high school's population was standing in the Zoo's main square. Secondly, it was a fight not a lecture. Lastly and most impending on her mind, there were sharp projectiles heading for her head. She did the only thing she could think of. She Screamed. LOUD.  
  
"AAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE" (or something like that)  
  
Both fighters, and the rather large crowd snapped their head just in time to see a terrified Kasumi standing directly in the path of several bladed objects. Before either martial artist had time to react by either 1) save Kasumi or 2) pull the objects out the air, a blur came streaking past effectively getting Kasumi out of the picture.  
  
Akane was acting on instinct. She snapped her head as she heard a loved one scream in fear, and her automatics kicked in. Before she even registered the sound she was leaping toward the person, tackling her out of harms way. Unfortunately, though, her body was on too automatic. Her body never stopped to think about the landing. Akane made sure that she hit the ground first, but it wasn't a very graceful fall. She landed on her back, which knocked the wind out of her. Even better, they rolled, they rolled right into a cement wall. Akane's ankle hit the wall first.  
  
Akane's first instinct was to gasp in pain, but with no air in her lungs, a sharp inhale of breath will suit the purpose just fine. Of course when you inhale you exhale and then the whole breathing process is restored. So with the first of Akane's problems being fixed, the others were sure to follow. Akane tried really hard to hide her pain, she tried to cover up her panic, she wanted to take this all back and say it never happened, but it did, so now she'll face the consequences. Now if only she could master her pain enough to open her eyes..  
  
Ranma was horrified. The morals that he had been taught were just about to be defied. Martial Artists are supposed to defend the weak not injure them. Numbness was what he felt as the shock took over. How could he cause some innocent by passer to get injured? Then there was the blur, his mind had barely registered Akane before. She was standing off to the side in the shade of some trees, but now that blur, which was obviously her, was rolling on the ground dangerously close to the. cement wall. He heard her smack the wall, and winced.  
  
"Akane!"  
  
Ranma ran towards the two girls, only to be stopped dead in his tracks..  
  
In his path, exactly where Kasumi had stood before, was a big locket of raven hair.  
  
End Chapter 


	8. Roku

AN: I already apologize for this chapter, I wrote it while extremely depressed. Depressed about what you say? Well, my school decided to be cool and offer a Japanese Exchange Program. They would pay for the airfare; provide meals and a homestay family. The entire trip would only cost six hundred dollars. (cheap) Well I applied, like any good anime freak would. Unfortunately, because of recent events such as the new epidemic SARS and the war in Iraq, and the fact that only two people applied when there were four places available. They decided to cancel the entire trip. ::sigh:: Just isn't my day. Then I AIMed my best friend, to get a little sympathy (I'm only human I'm allowed to ask for sympathy, especially when someone just told you that they are canceling your hopes for going to Japan this summer.), and HER first words of sympathy were "My boyfriend is grabbing my ass." And I care? I don't want to hear things like that, talk about TMI. I wouldn't want to hear that on a good day. Here I am so utterly depressed about my life falling down around me, and all she can talk about is her boyfriend. Would it be so hard for her to say "That sucks" or "I'm sorry to hear that" or "My condolences"? grr. Sorry for ranting, but my life sucks at the moment. Sure, I'll go to Japan eventually, but it will cost a lot more, and it was an opportunity of a life time. Please excuse me while the evil farting cow walks all over me, and my spirits rise because I'm so depressed that I can't feel it's evil hoofs clawing into my flesh.  
Chapter 6  
  
*recap*  
  
Read chapter 5  
  
*end recap*  
  
Ranma just stared at the lock of hair. It was like a symbol, instead of hair sitting there it could have been a human, and the idea of it chilled Ranma to the bone.  
  
It was really only a second or two in real time, but it felt like eternity for the young Martial Artist. He stepped over the hair and over to Akane.  
  
"Akane, are you okay?"  
  
'Why won't my eyes open? I've had worse. I've had broken/sprained/dislocated/split open many limbs over years of my training. I've mastered many years ago how to focus my chi over pain. If it isn't her physical pain that's bothering me then it must be.. Something else. Why won't they open? If it isn't the pain then..' As you know we are able to have complete brain conversations in seconds (though it takes longer on paper), and you've just experienced one of them.  
  
"Akane, are you okay?"  
  
Akane's eyes snapped open, but her brain was still working its way back to the world of the living.  
  
"Kasumi?" Akane said rather quietly. In no time, she was sitting up and cradling Kasumi. "Kasumi!" Akane's mind went on overload. Here, her sister, the one thing that she had always hoped existed was lay unconscious in her arms. Akane felt Kasumi's limp form in her lap and her brain barely registered it.  
  
"Akane?"  
  
Ranma had just seen Akane magically come to life, and now she was staring blankly into space. He couldn't see her face. Even if he could, he would have seen her eyes her all the emotions her body were capable of flash before her eyes while remaining eerily emotionless. She was in a trance so- to-speak. Ranma knelt next to Akane, and whispered in her ear. "Akane, let me look at Kasumi." Ranma frowned slightly at Akane's response, she hugged her limp sister closer to her body.  
  
"Akane, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about the projectiles after I dodged them. Is she hurt?"  
  
Akane didn't answer for a second. She was starting to think again, she closed her eyes. Projecting her chi, she checked Kasumi's chi for possible damage. Akane shook her head.  
  
"Will you forgive me?"  
  
Akane paused before she gave a slight nod. Ranma let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. She slowly, almost painstakingly, got to her feet while still carrying Kasumi. With out a word, she started home, apparently too distracted to know/care if Ranma had anything else to say. Akane Left a very disturbed Ranma in her tracks as she limped away, he was still staring at the spot she just vacated when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Ranma, I'm sorry. In case I can't find them will you tell her?" Ranma just nodded his stood up and started to walk away. Only stopping to pick Akane's fallen lock of hair.  
  
. Moments after Ranma left. There was murmuring among the crowd, which was silenced by a girl still in a school uniform that sported a short hair cut. Even though the girl was standing behind him and to his left a little bit, he could feel her cold stare. First, she glared at the crowd, the crowd shivered and they never talked about the incident again. Her gaze landed on his back until he thought that his flesh was going to be burned off, just like what liquid nitrogen does to the body when it touches the flesh. Just when it became unbearable, he turned his head to say something and suddenly found himself in the middle of South Africa.  
  
Meanwhile, Akane's ankle REALLY hurt. So Akane decided instead of walking the way home, she would roof hop. Not only was it faster, which meant less time she would be on her ankle, She was strong enough to use one leg to jump of and land. Don't ask me how it works, I don't know. I would imagine it's like when you stub your toe you can travel a great distance while hopping around in pain. It's strikingly similar, except for a long distance. They were inside the house and Kasumi was on a futon with a cold cloth on her head in record time. A few minutes later Kasumi woke up.  
  
Kasumi, Jolted as up. "Oh my!" Kasumi noticed that she was on a futon, and that she was covered in a brown wool blanket that was rather old and had seen better days. Kasumi also notice the wet rag that had fallen from her forehead when she sat up. Finally though, she looked towards Akane.  
  
"Akane, what happened to your hair?"  
  
"Huh?" Akane first reached back for her hair, and realized something. Her hair, she was lacking it, a lot of it. Akane felt foolish. 'Geez Akane, you were so concerned about Kasumi that you didn't even notice something as BIG as that. If Sensei were her he would beat..' Akane realized that Kasumi was waiting for an answer.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing Kasumi, I got into a little accident at school today. You wouldn't mind cutting for me would you?"  
  
"Of course I will."  
  
Akane left the room for about thirty seconds while she found scissors and brought them back with her.  
  
"Hai, Dozo!" (here you go!) Akane handed Kasumi the scissors and knelt with her back towards her, and Kasumi sat up. Ten minutes later Akane had the cute cut that we have learned to know and love.  
  
"Oh dear! I better start making dinner now!" Kasumi got up and headed towards the kitchen.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm going to Doctor Tofu's. I should be back by dinner."  
  
"Okay. Have a safe trip."  
  
As the words were dieing on her lips Akane was already on her way out the door and well on her way to the clinic.  
  
::sigh::  
  
Everybody has there special place. Kasumi's happened to be the kitchen. The kitchen was the one place that she felt secure. She had total control over this area, it was her domain. She could always solve all her problems in the kitchen. So then why is Kasumi having so much trouble figuring out what to serve for dinner? 'Why can't I stop thinking about it? Those razors coming straight for my head, I was so scared. I've never been in a situation like that. I've lived in a dojo all of my life, but I. But I don't approve of violence. I abhor it. Why would people live such destructive lives? At least people like that keep Doctor Tofu in business." A quick smile ran across Kasumi's face. 'What about Akane? What about Akane indeed. Apparently she had jumped in front of the projectiles to save my life, and got her hair cut off. Serves her right. Now that's not nice. You shouldn't think things like that. She was only trying to save you. I forgive her, I don't even know what was going on. For all I know she was picking a fight with someone at school. Nobody got hurt so I should forgive all parties involved. Still, though I wish I knew what happened. Oh my, what diverse girls daddy has. Me, I'm going to Nursing school behind dad's back. Nabiki set me up with a local college it's only the next town. Dad's so dense, he hasn't noticed. It's been two years now. Then there's Nabiki, she's obviously the brains of the family. She'll be a great business woman when she graduates high school. I'm so proud of her. She's become quite some lady. Sometimes, though, I miss the times when we used to go out and have fun together. I guess we just got busy, we seem almost like strangers under the same roof. Lastly there's Akane. I don't know much about Akane. She's a martial artist, I HATE martial arts. Does that mean I should hate her? I don't think I can. She's trying to get to know me, to be family, but I don't know if I can. What do we even have in common? I bet we don't have one thing in common. I'm the quiet housewife, and she's the blood thirsty martial artist. No, there's no way that I'll ever be able to warm up to her. Still, though, she did seem concerned about me today. She didn't even notice that her hair was cut off.' Kasumi giggled at the thought of someone not realizing something like that. She would have DIED if her hair was cut THAT short. Kasumi's thoughts drifted from Nabiki, to Akane, then to Doctor Tofu as she finally started dinner, rice and chicken.  
  
Ranma was lost. He had only been in this town for two days, and he had never been to this part. He had started following Akane, but she seemed to have disappeared.  
  
"Great first date, my ass!" Ranma said to no one in particular. It more like a berating of himself ' Well. When I get back to the dojo, assuming that I haven't been kicked out, I'll just apologize. Then, I'll ask Akane out on another date. I feel awful that our FIRST date was canceled because one of my fanatical friends decided to show up! I'm going to beat Ryouga into the ground when I see him next.' Ranma's thoughts became more and more violent as he thought upon those lines. In fact he forgot where he was trying to go, and what direction he was supposed to be moving in. That was he saw something so pathetic, that he just HAD to give up thoughts of torture, and be helpful to the community. He saw a guy in his late seventies-early nineties trying to lift a box that weighed twice as much as his self. If it weren't so serious, it would be funny.  
  
"Excuse me sir, mind if I help you with that?" Ranma didn't wait for a reply as he picked up the box. "Where do you want this?"  
  
"Why thank you, sonny, would you mind just putting it in front of the door, Thank you, that's good enough. Thank you."  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know where the Tendo Dojo would be, would you?"  
  
"Of course, sonny, It's three blocks straight ahead turn right then go another block, and it'll be on the left hand corner. You can't miss it!"  
  
"Thank you, sir." Ranma walked off at a more brisque pace.  
  
The old man went inside the house to get a drink after all the hard work he did today. 'Funny, he's the second gentleman to ask me today. The first one had a bandanna on a looked a little rugged. I wonder if there's a party or something there today?'  
  
Ranma arrived at the Tendo Dojo a few minutes later.  
  
"I'm back!"  
  
Ranma got no response, so he took off his shoes and wandered around the house trying to find out if people were home and just not answering him. Ranma passed the living room, which still had an empty futon out. So Ranma figured that Kasumi was either in the furo or the kitchen, but judging by the nice smell emanating through out the room, Ranma was pretty sure she was in the kitchen.  
  
"Hi Kasumi."  
  
Kasumi was deep in thought, and therefore didn't respond to Ranma.  
  
"Kasumi?" Ranma said a little louder.  
  
Kasumi whipped around fast, obviously startled, she didn't here anybody come into the house. "Ranma?"  
  
"Um. Sorry about this afternoon." Ranma was about to explain himself but was cut short by Kasumi.  
  
"Don't worry about it, the important thing is that nobody got hurt!" Kasumi turned around, and was once again focusing on cooking.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
"yes?"  
  
"Where's Akane?"  
  
"Oh, she went to Doctor Tofu's a couple of minutes ago, if you run I'm sure you can catch her. She didn't mention why she was going though." It was then that Kasumi glanced over her shoulder and realized that she was now talking to herself. ::shrug:: 'Martial artists.'  
  
Akane was hobbling down the street. The reason she wasn't roof hopping, is because she only knew the landscape at the moment, and perspectives were changed when roof hopping. Besides, it was a wonderful opportunity to think about her life. At the moment, she is suffering from a rather long flash back.  
  
*flashback*  
  
Imagine a tall black hooded being that looks like Larva off of Vampire Princess Miyu, except without the mask and blacker. If you don't know who larva, just imagine a black cloak figure that takes the shape of a tall handsome man.  
  
Then imagine a chibi Akane that is about five years old sitting on the cloaked one's (Sensei for short) lap.  
  
Sensei talks in a low comforting tone. It was so smooth and melodious that chibi Akane was having trouble staying awake on her Sensei's lap.  
  
"Akane, as you know, every martial artist has a weak point. Every human is naturally better at some things than at others, but martial artists overcome these obstacles. If you are good at strength, you must excel in speed. If you are good on the offense you must be better in defense. Everything in Martial arts has a yin and a yang. If you upset the balances, you will lose your title of a great martial artist. You want to be a great martial artist, don't you?"  
  
"Hai! But sensei, if everything balances out, why do we only have one weakness, and not two?"  
  
"Because your greatest strength offsets your greatest weakness, and most of the time it is connected through your weakness that you meet your biggest strength."  
  
"Oh so, what's my weakness?"  
  
"We'll find out through training, if you let it, it will surface on it's own eventually."  
  
"But I want a weakness, now. So I can control it."  
  
Sensei pats Akane's short hair. "Ok, if you insist. From this day forward you will grow your hair long, and that will your greatest weakness. You protect your hair at all cost, and so it hinders you in a fight. If you ever lose your hair, you must immediately find the other weakness that took the place of your hair. Promise me that you will do this?"  
  
"I promise to find my weakness!"  
  
**end flashback**  
  
' I wonder if Sensei was right? Have I just acquired a new weakness? It seems hard to believe that I'm THAT out of shape after a week. Maybe this is an omen. I need to find my weakness, and fast.'  
  
"Yo! Akane!" Ranma had seen the back of a girl in the school uniform hobbling down the street, but as he came closer he realized that this girl's hair was short, but not only was it short, it was cut clean. "Sorry wrong person."  
  
Ranma ran past Akane.  
  
"Ranma, who exactly were you looking for?"  
  
"Akane?" Ranma turned around. Ranma was mesmerized. He had that she was cute with long hair, but now she was gorgeous. The hairstyle agreed with her face, and made it look like she was wearing some sort of halo. Ranma was so enraptured by the new Akane, she almost ran him over.  
  
"err. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing much, I just hurt my ankle a little this afternoon."  
  
Ranma looked at her ankle, and it looked like it was starting to swell considerable and go black and blue.  
  
"Here." Ranma knelt down so Akane could get a piggy back ride.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'll give you a piggy back ride."  
  
"Oh, no thank you. It's only another block till we get there."  
  
They both had a very silent walk, each of them in deep thought.  
  
Lucky for them, Doctor Tofu was sweeping the doorway when the two of them came up.  
  
"Oh, good evening Akane and Ranma, how are you?"  
  
"I'm good Doctor Tofu, would you mind looking at my ankle?"  
  
"Sure come right on in."  
  
The three people walked into the small clinic. Ranma sat in the lobby area, while Akane and Doctor Tofu went into the clinic room. Akane sat on the bed, and Doctor Tofu took a seat in his rolly chair.  
  
"What seems to be your problem today, Akane."  
  
"My Ankle.."  
  
"Oh dear, that looks pretty bad, take off your shoe and let me take a look at that. Ah, yeah, you twisted your ankle pretty bad. How did you do this?"  
  
Akane paused a little before answering. Doctor Tofu didn't wait for answer to start massaging the soreness out of her muscles/ curing her ankle twisting ness whatever the hell he does with the shiatsu points. The point is, is that she was going to be cured of her ankle pains in a few minutes.  
  
"Oh, I just got into an accident after school today."  
  
"Really, well try not to get injured often, all fixed!"  
  
Akane tried out her ankle, and it felt like a whole new limb.  
  
"Thank you, Doctor Tofu!" Akane smiled pleasantly. "Come on, Ranma, let's go home!"  
  
Ranma, who had been sitting reading an old magazine, immediately put it down and followed Akane out of the door.  
  
"Good night you two!"  
  
Doctor Tofu watched the two walk down the sidewalk and around the corner, effectively disappearing. 'Hmm. I'm going to have to keep my eyes on those two. From the rumors I've heard today, that was a forced engagement. If Akane winds up braking up with him, Kasumi is the next in line. I better make sure I do everything I can to make sure the two of them get together. Oh, Kasumi.' and the rest of his thoughts caused him to dance around his office for a couple of hours with 'Betty-chan'  
Ranma and Akane were walking home, it was a really nice day. The sun was out, the breeze was whispering in their ears, and the birds were singing. Ranma was walking on the fence, while Akane was on the ground. Ranma glanced at Akane, and took in a giant breath before starting a conversation.  
  
"Akane, your hair really looks great you know."  
  
Akane blushed and turned her head away from him attempt to hide it.  
  
"Um, Akane?"  
  
Akane had gotten her blush out of control and turned her face towards him. "What?"  
  
"I was wondering if I could make up that date we were supposed to have today at some point?"  
  
"Sure, you may date me at some point."  
  
Ranma shut up for the rest of the walk home effectively avoiding foot-in- mouth syndrome, one of the many cases of silence is golden. He wasn't sure, but he was a little depressed by her answer. It wasn't really what she said, but how she worded it. He MAY date her, but sometime in the future aparantly. Apparently she wasn't too happy at him at the moment.  
  
Dinner was exceptionally quiet. With the fathers gone off to the local bars to get drunk off their (let's just say against they're better judgment, which they realized the next morning) nobody felt up to petty conversations. Dinner was over in the matter of minutes for a couple of highly trained martial artists, anyway, their speed training paying off, neither wanted to sit through the unbearable silence. Akane went to take a bath, then immediately went to her/their room. There she sat down in a chair and took out a sheet of paper, and began to write:  
  
Dear Auntie Nodoka:  
  
Thank you SO much for those clothes, I really needed them. I felt bad borrowing from Nabiki. I should do something nice for her to say 'thank you.' I'm not sure if I like this whole family business. They've already 'sold' me again. This time it's an arranged marriage. I don't want to be forced into anything, I don't even know the guy for heaven sakes. His name it Ranma Saotome, he's the same age as me, and about five inches taller than me. He's an exceptional martial artist, but this is all I know about him. Two days ago we decided to not really look at this as we're engaged, but we'll be going out as boyfriend and girlfriend. Not that if it doesn't work out it will be easier to break off.  
  
Today was certainly an eventful day, Ranma was supposed to take me out on our first date today, but one of his rivals showed up and they had a fight. Not only that, but while they were fighting, some of the projectiles almost hit Kasumi, my oldest sister if you remember. I safely got her out of the way before she got her, but my hair was sheared off. I didn't even notice, I was so concerned with her. I don't think she's to happy with me and Ranma. I hope everything works out for the better.  
  
I promise to update you soon,  
  
Akane  
  
Ranma took his bath right after Akane was out, by the time he was out and went to bed, she was already asleep. He slipped under the covers, but he didn't fall asleep easily, it took him about a half an hour before he finally nodded off.  
  
Nabiki was watching TV that night. Maybe that isn't a very accurate description, she was staring on the screen, but her mind was on other matters. 'How could HE. GRR. Damn you Saotome. Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like kuno, eww. Now get yourself together. Why are you mad at him? He almost hurt Kasumi, and nobody hurts my family and gets away with it. He didn't mean to hurt her, it was just an accident. Yeah, but he should have done something, like catch the stupid things. She almost got hurt because he didn't think about it. Wait a minute, is THAT why this whole thing has pissed me off so much? He DOESN'T think before he does stuff, especially when fighting. It pisses the bystander off. So, then maybe I should get him back. That's it, this is the Nabiki I know and love. I'll just make his life a living hell until he learns to think things through!' So now that Nabiki had a goal, she went up to her room to plan her revenge on Ranma and get some beauty sleep.  
  
End Chapter.  
  
AN:  
  
OKAY I added chapter 6, but no reviews? I'm not going to beg, but not even one? That means that 1) nobody is bothering to read this story 2) you're all way too lazy. Please review. Even if it's only to say that you hate me and that I should hide in a rock and die. I mean seriously, would 1 more review for chapter six hurt? It doesn't have to be long or meaningful or encouraging. All I'm asking is for SOMEONE to review, so I know SOMEONE is reading. Two reviewers would be nice, three I would be ecstatic, four I would die of a heart attack from excitement (that would make it a total of 14 reviews). Not bad, and average of two review per chapter. I can live with that. More would be nice.  
  
I'm sorry for this chapter once again, it's still building the foundation for the story. Let me explain something that I plan to do, but you didn't hear it from me ::wink:: ::wink::. The weakness and the whole flashback thingy alluded to one thing: Her new weakness is love for her family and Ranma. Now I either hear a lot of "OH.. now I get it!" or "Damn her for spoiling the story" but the second part isn't true, I already told you in the description of the story that Ranma and Akane love each other. I promise when Akane figures out her weakness it will be a lot more dramatic than this stupid Author's note.  
  
I have a stupid question. I only need one person to answer. I was reading my own fanfic and noticed that the letters to/from Nodoka weren't italicized. I know it probably isn't a big deal, but I would like it to be italicized so it stands out to be a letter. How do you make it Italicized (it is italicized in the word Document, but not here.) Would anyone know how to do that? (I feel so stupid for asking, but I will be overly grateful if someone would be so kind as to tell me. I'm sure it's written in my account somewhere, I just skipped over/didn't read it) Anyway, I think next chapter is going to be a busy one. I've already introduced the Saotome boys, preluded to Nodoka, Introduced the Tendos, and Introducing Ryouga. Oh, and Kuno. Let's see. who's next? I think it's Kodachi and THEN Shampoo or maybe it's the other way around? I'll figure it out by the time I post the next chapter.  
  
Ja ne 


	9. Shichi

"spoken out loud" 'thoughts' ::action/noise:: *flash back* new paragraphs are subject to change perspective and/or scene change.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
#beep# #beep# #beep# #crash#  
  
Akane woke up to that annoying noise known as an alarm clock. Finding herself waken up just a little too early for her liking it was three in the morning, she threw her alarm clock across the room. 'Things I won't do for the art!' Akane struggled for just a few moments, getting out of Ranma's grasp. She walked into dojo and sat in the middle, and started a cool technique her sensei had taught her.  
  
*Flash back*  
  
"Akane way are you crying?"  
  
Sensei was talking to a six year old Akane.  
  
"Because, because, because."  
  
"Enough, Akane you let your emotions get in your way too much. A true martial artist has no emotions. You want to be a real martial artist, don't you? Emotions get people killed; they distract you during a fight, not to mention that they are a major handicap! You don't want to be killed, do you?"  
  
This made chibi Akane cry harder. "I don't want to die!"  
  
"What have I told you about wanting?"  
  
"Um. don't, It will get you killed."  
  
"Good, you've been listening. Now, you've left me no choice, I will teach you this new technique.."  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
This was the technique she was taught, she was doing right there in the middle of the dojo. It was an unnamed technique. It wasn't a martial arts technique, more like a technique to find your wa. After all these years, it was still hard for Akane to find wa. She was set out to find it this morning.  
  
The technique involved tearing down your own ki, and analyzing every feeling that runs through your veins. Sound fun? It was grueling, and usually took Akane three to four hours to complete. But today she was not only out to find her wa, she was trying to find her new weakness.  
  
Ranma eyes fluttered opened as the morning's first rays of dawn hit them. He was really surprised that Akane hadn't woken him yet. Speaking of Akane, he couldn't feel her against his body. Ranma's eyes focused more as his mind went into panic. 'Oh crap, where's Akane?' Ranma practically flew down the stairs and into the dojo. What he saw there shocked him to no end. 'Oh my god, my girlfriend is glowing!' As Ranma stood there in the door way longer, the more he began to realize what was going on.  
  
Ranma had heard from his father about chi techniques, and about their awe deserving effectiveness in a fight. Sure Ranma could do small, very small, chi manipulations, but nothing to this level. This ball a chi emanating from her body could easily make his body burn up until not even ashes are left. 'Why is she collecting that much chi? Well, I'm not going to piss her off while she has that much excess chi on her. Maybe I should leave..' Before he could even turn his back on her, her chi started to swirl, something that was mesmerizing beyond belief. Her chi swirled faster, and faster. It was starting to change colors multiple times, in flashes. Until, finally, there was only a tiny blood red ball-like chi sitting on her palm. Without opening her eyes, Akane walked past Ranma and to the koi pond. She put her hands in the water, and the water sizzled a little bit as it absorbed the ki. Akane let out a big sigh ::sigh:: and opened her eyes. Akane never looked back at the dojo as she went into the house and up the stairs to finish her sleep.  
  
Akane was really tired, sifting through you ki isn't easy, and it burns a lot of energy. She was also rather disappointed because it hadn't worked as well as it had in the past. Too much has been happening recently. The best she could do, was to get rid of most of the access anger that her body had been storing. There are two different types of ki rational and irrational. Both are essential for the body to function. Rational ki is typically pure white, it's emotionless and gives your body the strength to do function properly, but mainly it helps with important arteries a muscles such as the brain, heart and lungs. Irrational ki, some times called emotions, is tainted rational ki. An access of irrational ki can make a person act out of sync with what their body knows best. Irrational ki is important for the nerves of the body. It comes in many colors, this is also used for projectile ki. Character flaws are produced when either there is a deficit or too much irrational ki. Keeping a proper balance is what a person strives to achieve by wa. Akane was a little disappointed that so much had happened recently. Her irrational ki was having a blast with these new events, Her irrational ki was changing colors/emotions so rapidly that she couldn't sort it out, and get rid of the excess, nor could she convert it back to Rational chi. The best she could do was to get some anger off her chest. She would have to wait until things slowed down to do that technique again, but she was sure that it would take an entire weekend to sort out all of her ki. Even though she didn't get everything she wanted to do done, she was tired to the bone.  
  
Those were along Akane's thoughts as she ascended the stairway. She went into her bedroom and fell upon the bed. She was asleep with in moments. Her last conscience thought was: 'Isn't Ranma supposed to still be asleep?'  
  
Ranma stepped into the room half a minute later. 'Akane you're definitely showing me how you did that! I wonder what other techniques you know? Hmm, you look really peaceful. Maybe I'll take a nap too. Sounds like a good idea.' With his goal set, he picked up the alarm clock off the floor, and put it back on the desk. 'I have at least a half hour. Good'  
  
Ranma too, was out in about half a minute.  
  
***  
  
::beep:: ::beep:: ::beep:: ::click::  
  
Nabiki turned off her alarm clock, and did her morning ritual of opening up her closet and viewing her monitoring screen. She always viewed the house first to know what was going on, before breakfast. Then she came back up to her room to monitor the school. Some people say that she's a control freak. Nabiki just calls herself well informed. One thing caught Nabiki's attention this morning. So far, everything Akane said was true, she apparently did learn some ki manipulating technique, because she could usually only see a blurry almost human shape (freaky, almost like the Ring err 'victims') , and her developed pictures were even worse. Now, though, she could see Akane perfectly. She could see her under the covers with Ranma, and they looked awfully comfortable. 'Hmm. I wonder. would any.. Strenuous nightly activities affect her 'ki' barrier? Hmm all the possibilities I could have with this' Nabiki smiled as she left her room, with her digital camera, of course.  
  
First stop, Akane and Ranma's room. Nabiki quietly stepped into their room, and got as close as she dared, then took a few dozen pictures. Then she closed the door as she left the room. Fighting the urge to skip, Nabiki then went to breakfast.  
  
"Nabiki, have you seen Ranma and Akane this morning?"  
  
"No, I thought Akane said something about going to school early today. Maybe they already left?"  
  
Kasumi thought about this, but it seemed plausible enough.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to school today, so I'll see you later."  
  
So Kasumi left for classes, Soun was having a humongous hang over, and Nabiki left for school ten minutes later. Nabiki also had a big Cheshire grin on her face. 'Welcome to your life Ranma, that is to say, welcome to HELL. Sorry, Akane of you get dragged into it too. I'll try and make it easier for you, though.' She felt so light hearted that she almost laughed out loud.  
  
Later that afternoon..  
  
Ranma was having a good dream. Not that he got dreams often, but this was an exception, and a good exception at that. He was dreaming that he had found an exceptionally HOT goddess, and that she had granted him one wish. He had thought it was a joke, so he asked her to stay forever.. And she had. Now he was dreaming that he was holding her to him laying in bed after they had ::cough:: and he was looking at her adoringly taking in every delicate feature on her face. She had short black hair that had natural blue highlights. She stood about five inches shorter than him. Also, she had a body to die for. She was funny with a great personality, lit up the room when she entered it. Most of all, though, she was dear to him, he felt a warm rush of new feelings when ever she even looked at him.  
  
That's when he woke up. As his eyes focused, his hole body jumped in surprise. 'oh my god, it wasn't a dream! Why else would there be a girl in my bed?' Ranma was *extremely* happy for the next few moments while he debated how to waken his angel. All good things come to an end though, as memory flooded back, and he realized why there was a girl in his bed. ::sigh:: 'Argh. Now what? I'm hungry, but I don't want to wake Akane. She must be exhausted, how long had she been manipulation her ki? It must require a lot of effort, if she's been knocked out for this long. Oh well, might as well wait until she wakes up. I DO NOT want to find out how good a sport she is at being woken up.'  
  
Ranma was about to give up and go to back to sleep, when he got a good whiff of Akane's hair. He felt horrible, still, about what happened yesterday. He wished he could make it up to her. He had liked her long hair, but her short hair made her look better. He didn't know why it was, but it was a gut feeling. He simply loved her short hair. Being bored, and since we all know he has a whacked danger sense when it comes to women, he decided that instead of immediately going back to bed he would start running his fingers through her hair. He enjoyed the texture, and soft silkiness. Plus, she was asleep. No harm done.  
  
Akane was having a nightmare. She was seeing something that had happened in one of her training exercises from a third person view. She was seeing herself (7 years old) run away from a pack of horrible oni. She saw the terrified look on her face, and yet felt the same fear she had back them. It was a horrible feeling. She ran, and ran, and ran. She ran until she was exhausted and couldn't run anymore, and then she tripped on a tree root, and took a heavy fall. Akane closed her eyes and prayed that her death would come swiftly. Then she blacked out, and woke up a few hours later in a hut. A fourteen year-old boy was putting a wet rag on her forehead. He wore a kind smile, and his face was rather dirty. His brown eyes had concern in them. He was tall and well built. He was definitely somebody that ANY girl would love to have all alone in a hut in the middle of the woods all to herself.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine. Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Shinnosuke, but you can call me onisan."  
  
"Nice to meet you onisan."  
  
"Nice to meet you too, who are you?"  
  
"I'm Akane!"  
  
Scene fades as another comes in.  
  
"No fair!" Akane and Shinosuke are training in an open field. Shinnosuke is having a hard time keeping up with Akane, so he results in dirty tricks to beat her.  
  
"All is fair in love and war!"  
  
This sort of Banter went on for a few minutes before the scene begins to die and a new one comes yet again.  
  
"Shinnosuke, I'm scared, can I sleep with you?" Akane was in a frilly white night gown, standing in the doorway of Shinnosuke's bedroom.  
  
"Sure." Shinnosuke lifted the blankets. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I heard something howling." It was true that Shinnosuke lived in a forest with a lot of monsters, and it wasn't safe to go out at night. He had gotten used to the fear, but Akane had only been here a few weeks. Shinnosuke tried to calm her down by stroking her hair. "Shh. It's ok. I'll protect you!"  
  
Akane fell asleep, making an entirely new scene.  
  
Akane was leaning against a tree, her and Shinnosuke had been training, when a particularly strong oni tried to attack them. Shinnosuke had used Shiatsu to paralyze her, so that he could defeat the oni by himself. Now, all she could do was watch. She watched as they walked a dance of death, she couldn't even blink. She watched as they took each others lives. Akane inwardly shivered at the memories.  
  
Now Akane was standing in the dark, by herself. She felt somebody stroking her hair.  
  
"Shinnosuke?"  
  
"."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I thought you were dead. You're dead, I was it, you're dead, how?"  
  
Akane looked up, but instead of shinnosuke looking up into the face of her 'big brother' it was the face of oni that had taken his life.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE." Akane screamed as woke up.  
  
*end dream* in case it wasn't obvious.  
  
This is from Ranma's point of view:  
  
A few moments after he had started playing with her hair, she snuggled closer to Ranma.  
  
"Shinnosuke?"  
  
Ranma was crushed, how could she dream of a different man while she was in his arms?  
  
"I thought. you're dead. I. you." That's what Ranma could pick up from her mumbling in her chest. Suddenly interested, Ranma strained to hear the rest of the conversation.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."  
  
Ranma suddenly found himself on the floor. Picking himself off the floor he found Akane with the covers gathered protectively around her while breathing heavily.  
  
Akane hadn't had a nightmare in a long time. This one was particularly unsettling. Akane shivered.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"Why are you on the ground?"  
  
"because you shoved me here."  
  
"I didn't shove you, I shoved that oni.." Akane blushed, and put a stray locket of hair behind her ear. "Gomen." (sorry)  
  
Now Ranma felt bad, first he was jealous when he heard another man's name mentioned. Now to find out he was an oni, He had accidental invoked a nightmare in Akane, though a tiny part of him was relieved too.  
  
"No really, I'm sorry."  
  
"That's ok." Akane was still a little shaken up about it though, it had seemed too real to her.  
  
"Akane? Would you like to go ou.(t). go get something to eat?" Ranma decided not to say the words "go out" because those words seem to have a strange jinx.  
  
Akane's stomach decided scared or not, food was essential. It growled.  
  
"I take that as a yes." Ranma took clothes out of his pack, and went to the bathroom to change. While Akane got out of bed. Once Ranma was out of the room, Akane got dressed herself.  
  
"I wonder what time it is?"  
  
She looked at the clock, and it read 1:30 in the afternoon.  
  
Two minutes and thirty seconds later Ranma and Akane were standing outside of the dojo. Akane slipped the letter into a mail drop-off box on the corner thirty seconds after that.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ranma and Akane were clear across town looking for a restaurant. Ranma wasn't happy that, that old woman had splashed him with cold water. Now he was a she for their first 'date.' School was getting out soon, and they were hoping to beat the school crowd. Ranma was looking for a semi-fancy restaurant for their first date. Akane was looking for someplace that had good food at cheap prices. Ranma was almost disappointed when Akane picked the carry-out bento place.  
  
*Author's (short) interruption for those who have no idea about what I had just said. If you know what a bento place is please skip this next paragraph.*  
  
Please allow me to explain what this sort of place is. I've never been to Japan, but my friend has, and she described this sort of restaurant to me (though I forget the REAL name for these sort of restaurants.) It's almost like a cafeteria style restaurant. Ready-made bento's are displayed on a conveyer-belt (circular metal top that spins slowly.) Pick the one(s) you want, and wah-la you have yourself a lunch. Neat, isn't it?  
  
*End of interruption*  
  
Both martial artists got two of the biggest bentos each, two bottles of Kirin milk tea, and a cup of hot water. They decided to eat at a park.  
  
If only they could find one.  
  
In an empty lot, four girls are seen with clubs. The girls are wearing practice clothes, a yellow shirt and red practice shorts. They were surrounding another girl with her school uniform still on, and a practice bag in her hand.  
  
The person in the school uniform spoke first: "Why, you must be from Furinkan high. I'm so looking forward to next weekend. Sure, our schools may be rivals, but, well, I do hope we'll still be friends. After you've lost, I mean."  
  
The four girls respond in turn, but in random order.  
  
"You're such a liar."  
  
"We'd never be friends with you!"  
  
"Don't think we don't know what you're up to!"  
  
"You're trying to stop us from competing in the tournament."  
  
"Why else would you ambush us?"  
  
Ranma and Akane were walking down the street, looking for a park, or at least someplace peaceful to eat their bentos. They passed a particularly high brick wall, and noticed that there wasn't a house behind it, Ranma decided to check it out to see what was on the other side, he was hoping it would just be an empty lot were there would be a littler chance of an enemy finding them. Ranma was hell-bent on trying to find someplace safe and secluded to spend more time getting to know Akane.  
  
"Akane hold these for a minute. I'll be right back!" Ranma gave Akane the bag with the food, and jumped on the wall.  
  
Just in time to hear.  
  
"Why else would you ambush us?"  
  
Ranma saw four girls surrounding a fifth girl in an otherwise empty lot and realized. 'Hey! I think they're in my class!' Ranma looked on at the situation before going to action.  
  
"We're going to give you a taste of your own medicine!"  
  
(All the girls in unison) "Let's get her!"  
  
The fifth girl in the uniform, got out her ribbon, and started twirling it.  
  
"Now girls," She said in a motherly fashion before her voice went to a more. demonic tone. "If I weren't such a lady." She started to whip the girls. "If I weren't such a lady, I would have to teach you a lesson, and then you would really be in trouble. How lucky for you, I was reared better than that!"  
  
Ranma decides that that was enough. He jumped down and caught this girl's ribbon.  
  
"Come on, cut it out. I think they got you point already."  
  
The girl was too shocked to hear what the other girl just said.  
  
"You stopped my ribbon. That's never been done. You're no ordinary girl are you?"  
  
The person in her uniform started to circle around Ranma. Ranma turned also to keep the girl in front of her.  
  
"Well, uh, yeah. You could say that."  
  
"It makes no difference to me, well then." The girl stoops down. "I won't go any easier on you!" The girl lunged at Ranma with a club from a fallen opponent, while Ranma just ducks the blow.  
  
"You're quite formidable. Well done! I'm the flower of St. Hebereke High School, a rising star in gymnastics. I'm Kodachi, the black Rose."  
  
Kodachi started a strategic retreat, then turned around with a black rose in her hand.  
  
"You'll keep that in mind, won't you?"  
  
She starts to laugh maniacally as she jumps on the wall, then shimmies down the light post.  
  
"What is he DOING?" Akane knew for a fact that it didn't take this much time to scope out the landscape, so she decided to check things out for herself.  
  
Akane looked down from the wall, as Ranma started to walk towards the four girls huddling together and crying.  
  
"Ah, now don't cry."  
  
Before Ranma got the words out of his mouth, Akane was standing next to him.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Five minutes later the four girls were winding down their sob story, and Ranma and Akane were winding down their lunch intake.  
  
"Please, Akane you have to help us!" The girl was still sniffling.  
  
"We're all too injured to fight."  
  
"You're the only one we can turn to."  
  
"Please enter the tournament it's Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics."  
  
"Martial Arts?" Ranma inquired.  
  
"Don't tell me you haven't heard!"  
  
The girls pull down chibi diagrams to articulate what they are saying.  
  
In summary: The object of Rhythmic Gymnastics is to either beat them (no bare fisted attacks) or throw your opponent out of the ring.  
  
"Martial Arts? She'll do it!"  
  
"I will?"  
  
"Oh Thank you SO much Akane, you've saved us!" The girls cry, this time in joy in unison. While Akane just looks at Ranma.  
  
A little while later.  
  
Akane and Ranma are walking next to each other in Silence. Ranma, now male, is holding a bag full of gymnastics equipment.  
  
"I can't believe you volunteered me!"  
  
"Sorry, habit."  
  
"You usually volunteer other people?"  
  
"No, it's pure reflex to accept a challenge."  
  
"Hmph. I hope you know that you're helping me train for this. I don't even know how to use these weapons."  
  
"Okay, Okay, we'll train when we get home, and after school for the next week until the competition. I think you'll be ready."  
  
"One more thing.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I want to fight this fight Anything Goes."  
  
Ranma turned his head and gave Akane a look. He had forgotten that she wasn't accustomed to fighting under his schools strategy. It was going to be harder than the training itself. It would be hard to fight on a totally new principle of thinking, and strategy. Though Anything Goes incorporates other schools in to its special attack, the basis of the philosophy is different than any other martial arts school.  
  
"Sure, we'll work on it."  
  
Akane was satisfied and thought nothing more of it. 'Why cry over spilled milk?'  
  
While Ranma felt many conflicting emotions, and was currently beating himself mentally. 'Why the hell did I volunteer her for the fight? You know what kind of lunatic that girl is, the Purple Lilac or something like that. Now you've done it, now you have to train with Akane. though spending time with Akane wouldn't be so bad.'  
  
Moments later they entered the Tendo Compound, and didn't even bother to tell people they were home. They went strait to the dojo to practice. Once inside, Akane dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor.  
  
"Let's see here, How do you use this in combat?" Akane picked up the bouncy ball.  
  
Ranma shrugged as he picked up a piece of rope.  
  
"We'll just have to see, wont we?"  
  
They both took stances in the middle of the dojo: Akane with the bouncy ball and Ranma with the rope.  
  
Akane charged Ranma, who was in a relaxed stance, but apparently wasn't ready for the speed at which Akane threw the ball into Ranma's stomach. It bounced back into Akane's hand, and she hit Ranma in the back with the ball. This time it hit a shiatsu point that wouldn't let him use his legs. Ranma slumped to the ground, while Akane dropped the ball and used it to kick Ranma in the face.  
  
Akane was clearly enjoying herself. 'hmm. I've never beaten the crap out of somebody with a bouncy ball. This is fun! I really need to go easier, I don't want him to get seriously injured, we still need to train for another week. Though this IS fun. Maybe after this match, he wont volunteer me for anymore stupid competitions!' Akane continued taking out her frustration of having to do something against her will against Ranma. Finally, though, Akane stopped her onslaught with the ball and ended standing towards Ranma spinning the bouncy ball on her finger.  
  
"I think I've figured out this weapon, let's try the ribbon next!"  
  
"."  
  
Akane picks up the ribbon, and then turns back to Ranma, who is still laying in the same position she left him in. Akane walked over, and did the counter-shiatsu point. Ranma decided that he would keep the rope for the next round. They faced off again in the middle of the dojo.  
  
"I think this works like a whip. We'll just have to see, wont we?"  
  
Ranma charged Akane, because ribbons, like whips, are best fought at a distance. Unfortunately for Ranma, he never made it far enough to make it effective. He was hit several times in the chest, throwing him off balance. As he was falling, the ribbon grabbed onto his ankle, and threw him across the dojo. It not only threw him out of the dojo, it threw him out of the open doors, and seconds later a huge splash was heard. Seconds later a dripping Ranma was standing in the doorway.  
  
"I think you don't need any more help on the ribbon, how about the hoop?"  
  
Akane nodded her head and smirked as she picked up the red plastic hoop. This time Ranma chose to use clubs. Akane didn't look to comfortable with the hoop, it's rather large and not exactly a formidable fighting weapon. Akane stood with the hoop in her right hand by her side. Ranma charged Akane, not really knowing what of attack she was going to do, though he WAS sure how to use the clubs. Akane just side stepped as Ranma over shot his lunge, and started to loose his balance. Then she used her speed to slip the hoop over Ranma's head, and flick it so Ranma went flying into the pond again.  
  
When Ranma stood in the doorway again, he saw Akane looking REALLY pleased with herself.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll just train on that later, that was lucky and wouldn't have happened in a real fight. I already know you know how to use nunchuks, I mean the clubs. What's left then? Oh, you can try the rope now."  
  
Akane felt like she was playing with a new toy. She quickly picked up the rope and faced off against Ranma. Akane defeated Ranma before he could blink. She sat on top of a half conscience Ranma.  
  
"So, will you teach me Anything Goes Now?"  
  
"You've already got the hang of it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"With the hoop I mean, pure inspiration. Anything Goes is based on making up techniques while still in midst of a fight. Anything Goes, there is no proper technique, we aren't above steeling the basis of techniques off of other schools. As long as we win, technique be damned."  
  
"So, what else is there to this school? I mean there has to be something. Why don't you call your school: Vulture school of Martial Arts, or something similar."  
  
"Oh, there are some things that separate from the others."  
  
Ranma and Akane sat in the dojo for the rest of the afternoon discussing the philosophies of school that they would someday inherit.  
  
Later that evening.  
  
"So, it's true, anything goes."  
  
"That just about sums it up."  
  
"You mean I just wasted an afternoon of good training time?!?"  
  
Ranma ran from the dojo, while Akane playfully ran after him.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi shook her head at the scene in the yard, Akane was still chasing Ranma. "Dinner's ready everyone!"  
  
Before Kasumi got to the words every. Akane and Ranma were in their places and holding out their dishes for being served. Kasumi scorned inwardly 'How can they look so innocent?' as she dished them out their food. They were done by the time the others arrived at the table.  
  
"Well, let's go back to practicing."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They left the table as everybody else was just sitting down. During supper, the family got the funny scene of Ranma being thrown in the pool every few minutes. It seemed to be a very productive practice for Akane.  
  
Later that night.  
  
"Good practice."  
  
"Yes, it was a very good practice."  
  
Akane walked over to Ranma, who was on his hands and knees and breathing heavily, and reached over to touch his back.  
  
"I'll take my bath first, okay?"  
  
Ranma could only nod his head. As Akane left, Ranma collapsed and stayed there on the floor for awhile.  
  
A few minutes later Akane is relaxing in the tub.  
  
'I'm exhausted. Ranma's quite a fighter. Too bad he was trained by someone who loves him. He has potential. He's almost as strong as I am. I think he'll pass me soon enough. Still, though, how could he just volunteer me for a challenge? I don't get this school's philosophy at all. At least I won't have to change my basic techniques. I can just rename them, or not because this school isn't above stealing from other schools. I'm glad, apparently Sensei did me a favor by teaching me such a variety of techniques, now I can enhance this school with my techniques. Maybe I should start teaching Ranma.. Nah, he wouldn't appreciate it. He wants to achieve things on his own. He HAS to learn on his own. Learn because of challenges. That is the proper way for the martial artist to grow. I, so far, have just had stronger challengers that all there is to it..' Akane's thoughts turned to her past challenges. Her last thoughts before she left the tub. 'This fight is going to be a piece of cake.'  
  
It was seven o'clock at St. Hebereke High School. The gym was full of girls training. There were sounds of girls trying new techniques and plenty of encouragements.  
  
"All right, That's all for today ladies!" The captain, Kodachi, yelled.  
  
Murmurs were heard across the gym. If you listened to one conversation you had a fifty/ fifty chance of it either being about how hard practice was, or how they always win by default (so why practice?).  
  
A girl walked up to Kodachi and whispered in her ear. She had just went on the internet to see the postings of the contestants, and apparently Furinkan's participants had changed. Kodachi dismissed the girl, and went to her locker to get her belonging before going home. When she opened up her locker, various implements of destruction gleam. Quickly looking through her arson of weapons, Kodachi quickly picks up the least lethal weapon. She quickly hid the mallet in her black cloak.  
  
"Fear not Ms. Tendo. I will be dealing with you very shortly." Then she laughed maniacally as she ran from the school and on top of roof tops all the way to the Tendo Dojo.  
  
A half an hour later, Kodachi is standing in front of the Tendo Dojo. Kodachi threw her cloak into the air, it was caught by a ninja named Satsuke that we don't know about yet that just happened to be on the room.  
  
"So, they've asked for help. What poor losers these Furinkan girls are. Akane Tendo you'll rue the day you CROSSED the Black Rose." With that, she put a black rose in her mouth and laughed maniacally.  
  
Meanwhile, the ninja was idly wondering how Kodachi managed to laugh while having a rose in her mouth without choking on it. The ninja gave up, and went home.  
  
Akane sensed that somebody was in her room, but when she surveyed the room, she found nobody. Akane flopped down on the bed. 'Now that's weird I could've sworn I sensed somebody in my room.' Akane turned over with her face towards the ceiling, what she saw didn't amuse her. A strange girl was hanging from the ceiling. Akane moved quickly out of the way when the girl fell and took out a mallet. With the girl yelling: "Akane Tendo prepare to die!"  
  
"Who might you be?"  
  
Kodachi had extracted herself from Akane's bed.  
  
"I'm from the St. Herbereke Rythmic Gymnastics team, of course. I'm Kodachi the Black Rose.?"  
  
"Kodachi? Who?"  
  
It was like Kodachi wasn't listening, because she started attacking Akane with the mallet.  
  
"There's only one more week until we face each other in the Gymnastics tournament. So let's both fight fair, okay!?!?!"  
  
"Fair? Compared to what? I didn't ask you to sneak into my room, and I certainly never asked you to attack me in the dark."  
  
"In the dark? Utterly ridiculous, I came merely to size up my opponent before the big match next week. That's all."  
  
"Don't give me that!"  
  
Akane hadn't attacked this strange girl because Ranma had lectured her today about letting weaker opponents feel like they had a chance, but even Akane had her patience wear thin. She decided to put the end to the loony with one blow. She was in mid-kick. When suddenly the door was flung open, effectively knocking out Kodachi.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Ranma looked behind the door only to find an unconscious girl in a leotard.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't know you were having a sleep over."  
  
"I'm not." Akane didn't look too amused.  
  
"Then who." Ranma took another look 'oh no, it's Purple Petunia or what-is- her-face. She is Akane's opponent next week.'  
  
Kodachi opened her eyes. She opened her eyes to be staring at the most gorgeous man she had ever met. Her brain processes were going beserk, but apparently one thought was going through her mind. 'gotta get this one for my own.'  
  
"Are you okay?" Ranma looked directly into her eyes.  
  
"I uh hold me!" Kodachi leapt into his arms.  
  
"What the?" Ranma extracted her from himself.  
  
"Since you're obviously not hurt, I'll be going to bed. See you around maybe, okay? Oh bye." Ranma turned his back from Kodachi.  
  
"Oh, my Head!" Kodachi collapsed to the ground. "The blow, it was more dreadful than I thought."  
  
Ranma turned from where he was going, and walked towards the door again. "I'll get you some aspirin, or something."  
  
"Don't go!"  
  
Kodachi kind of mumbles to herself: "How could I have known that when I cam here tonight I would meet the man of my dreams?" Out loud. "You're name? Kind sir?"  
  
"err Ranma, Ranma Saotome."  
  
"Ra n ma Saotome. Dearest Ranma. Take these." Kodachi handed Ranma a bouquet of Black Roses.  
  
"Wha. Huh?" That was Ranma's intelligent response to the powder that suddenly exploded from the plant.  
  
"I put a little bit of paralysis powder in the roses."  
  
"Why, I never did anything to you."  
  
Kodachi layed Ranma on his back, obviously too much in her own little world to register what Ranma just said, tried to force him to kiss her.  
  
"Now my love take what you most desire. Take these lips of mine."  
  
Ranma was trying his hardest not to be kissed, despite being under the influence of a strong paralysis drug.  
  
"Ak..ane. help. Ak.."  
  
Akane had stood there quietly through out the entire scene. She wasn't sure if this was a normal was to show affection. It was when she used paralysis powder, was when Akane decided to stop it. Barely a centimeter from Ranma's lips, Akane threw Kodachi out the open window. Seconds later, an audible splash was heard.  
  
** From the pond...  
  
"Curse you Akane, for what you have done I will show no mercy next week. Kodachi ran home, while alternating thoughts of making sweet sweet love to Ranma and how many tortures she would put Akane through.  
  
**  
  
In the room.  
  
Akane had put the paralyzed Ranma in the bed. Akane shook her head and smiled.  
  
"I'm going to write a letter, I'll turn off the lights in a few minutes." Akane didn't wait for a response because he couldn't give one.  
  
Dear Nodoka,  
  
Today Ranma and I overslept. We went out for lunch. I guess it would be our first date. While searching for a place to eat, Ranma saved a bunch of girls from being beaten up. It turns out that they are part of martial arts rhythmic gymnastics. Ranma promptly volunteered me to fight for them. I was kind of mad at Ranma, but when I met the girl I'll be facing I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to teach her a lesson! Just now, she came into my room, and tried to attack me. Then Ranma accidentally knocked her out with the door when he came in. Then she tried to seduce him right there in front of me. I think she has a few screws loose. The tournament is next week, could you find time to find me a leotard?  
  
Love, Akane Tendo  
  
Meanwhile, in another part of Japan..  
  
A middle-aged woman opened a letter.  
  
Dear Auntie Nodoka:  
  
Thank you SO much for those clothes, I really needed them. I felt bad borrowing from Nabiki. I should do something nice for her to say 'thank you.' I'm not sure if I like this whole family business. They've already 'sold' me again. This time it's an arranged marriage. I don't want to be forced into anything; I don't even know the guy for heaven sakes. His name it Ranma, he's the same age as me, and about five inches taller than me. He's an exceptional martial artist, but this is all I know about him. Two days ago we decided to not really look at this as we're engaged, but we'll be going out as boyfriend and girlfriend. Not that if it doesn't work out it will be easier to break off.  
  
Today was certainly an eventful day, Ranma was supposed to take me out on our first date today, but one of his rivals showed up and they had a fight. Not only that, but while they were fighting, some of the projectiles almost hit Kasumi, my oldest sister if you remember. I safely got her out of the way before she got her, but my hair was sheared off. I didn't even notice, I was so concerned with her. I don't think she's to happy with me and Ranma. I hope everything works out for the better.  
  
I promise to update you soon,  
  
Akane  
  
Nodoka looked at all the pictures that were included in the envelope. Her eyes finally rested on the one with Akane with a boy.  
  
'My dear kami. he looks so familiar. Where do I know him from?'  
  
Nodoka walked around her house while trying to figure out why the man in the photograph was so familiar. She kept reading the letter and looking at the picture, it was a nagging feeling. 'Why can't I remember how I know this Ranma fellow?' She was finally about to give up when she suddenly found herself in her living room staring at a picture on the mantle.  
  
'Wait a minute. Ranma?...' Nodoka quickly went the mantle where she kept all the pictures of her son, and compared Akane's photo to the latest photo she got from her husband. a year ago. She was right. 'Ack, I'm ashamed as a mother! How could I not recognize my own son at firs glance? I'm so excited!' Nodoka quickly sat down to write Akane a letter telling her who the boy was..  
  
Then, just as quickly, she crumpled up the paper. 'Why hasn't my husband written me in close to ten years, and why had it been so long since I've gotten a picture? I bet you something is going on, and my husband doesn't want me to know about it. I'll wait until something, good or bad, happens. Then I'll rush over and straighten my husband's mess. What kind of harebrained scheme was it to have a forced marriage anyway? We'll see what Akane writes about Ranma and my husband. I wasn't serious about REALLY making them commit seppuku if Ranma isn't a man amongst men, but if they harm Akane-chan I might feel compelled to. At least now I can finally find out how my son is, even if she doesn't realize it is my son. It's like killing two birds with one stone. I get to write Akane, who is like a daughter to me, and I get to find out about my son. Plus, I don't want to be premature on my arrival to meet my husband and son for the first time in ten years.'  
  
So she finally decided what to write on the letter:  
  
Dear Akane,  
  
Ranma's your first boyfriend isn't he? Tell me all about it! You should try and make the best out of the situation.  
  
I'm sorry to here about your sister, I'm sure she'll forgive you. Try and make amends to her. She just isn't used to all this, give her time. She probably doesn't adapt well to change. I suggest finding something you have in common, then she'll open up to you.  
  
You need to show me what your new hair style looks like! Write me soon, and often.  
  
Love, Nodoka  
  
Later that night, around midnight, at the Tendo dojo.  
  
Ryouga was standing outside of the front gates of the Tendo Dojo.  
  
"Tonight Ranma, Tonight's the night you are going to pay!"  
  
End Chapter  
  
It's the chapter that never ends. it goes on and on my friends.. Someone started writing it, not knowing what it was. now she'll continue writing it forever just because.. it's a (bad) parody of "the song that never ends." And  
  
"I'm a little green lime cloud ::hovering:: under the ::lemon:: tree."  
  
Parady that goes to the Pooh song "I'm a little black rain cloud ::hovering:: under the honey tree." A/n: Those happened to be the only songfic parts of this fanfic. Enjoy while you can.  
  
Every story must have a good foundation. If the foundation fits the author's ambition, the story will blossom. (  
  
I went to eat with my family today. My cousin had a great idea: Family bowling. You just line them all up and then...  
  
Why I didn't mention Ryouga until the end of the chapter? Simple, he was lost. 


	10. Hachi

Chapter 8: Men are like linoleum: Lay them right and you can walk all over them for thirty years. By Grace Kelly (Stolen from a sign in the girl's bathroom at a restaurant named Stumps) "talking" 'thoughts' ::sounds:: New paragraphs and three little * are indicators of new perspectives and/or scene changes. **flash back**  
  
Ryouga was in the midst of a fight. It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and his opponent was Ranma. They were currently in the middle of the Nerima zoo. They had just recently broken a good size fountain, and now the water was gushing and overflowing onto the ground. To one side of Ryouga, there was a very deep enclosure that was complete with an island and a big swimming pool surrounding it for the Orange-striped tiger and the White-striped tiger. To the other side of Ryouga was a big pen of monkeys. There were at least twenty of them, and they were all being active and making noise.  
  
The only thing on Ryouga's mind, though, was Ranma. Ranma was the sole person he blamed the troubles in his life. Ranma had run out on the fight, and now he even had a better a better Jusenkyou curse than he did. Life wasn't fair, and Ryouga blamed Ranma for it.  
  
Ryouga was concentrating so much at demolishing his enemy, that he forgot there was even a crowd, and that's when the shit hit the fan.  
  
It was one of Ryouga's basic techniques; he pulled out pieces of fabric that were razor sharp from his bandana, half of the fabric was in his hand as he pulled half a dozen from his hand. Ryouga added potential energy to the fabric as he span the fabric, adding to the angular acceleration. When the angular momentum was great enough, Ryouga snapped his wrist, and the projectiles flew on their pivotal points all across the battle field/park. It was similar to a boomer rang.  
  
Ranma dodged the attack, having seen it from a mile away (figurative, of course, think hand to hand combat.) Both fighters dismissed the flying pieces of cloth as a failed attack. Both in fact were so concerned with keeping up their defenses while trying to overcome the other, that they were almost on a different plane than the plane me and you live in. That was, until they heard a scream.  
  
Both fighters turned to see where it had come from. Ryouga was perplexed that it was a woman. Ranma recognized the woman as Kasumi. They realized there wasn't enough time, they weren't fast enough to get the girl out of harm's way.  
  
Looking on horrified for those few seconds, the entire population of people gasped in horror in what was about to happen (if they even realized what was going on), before people could reach a complete brain wave, There was a blur where Kasumi just stood. To the average person, it was too fast for them to see clearly. Later, they would recall only seeing a blur, then hearing a crash seconds apart. For Ryouga, and Ranma it was different. They were martial artists, and they could see exactly what happened.  
  
Ryouga had barely been able to see the blur as a human. He had never been that fast, he had always concentrated on his strength. He could see enough to know what's going on. His eyes could see, but his brain wasn't registering. When he had seen what he had done, his brain had gone into shock.  
  
"Akane, are you okay?"  
  
When Ryouga's thought processes started again that was the first think he heard.  
  
'My god, what have I done?!?!?'  
  
"Akane?" Ranma had concern in his voice, and was approaching the girl he had been walking with that afternoon. All Ryouga could do, was to stand in the same place as before and look on the whole scene dumbly.  
  
Akane paused before she gave a slight nod. Ranma let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. She slowly, almost painstakingly, got to her feet while still carrying Kasumi. With out a word, she started home, apparently too distracted to know/care if Ranma had anything else to say. Akane Left a very disturbed Ranma in her tracks as she limped away, he was still staring at the spot she just vacated when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Ryouga's mind and body had a meeting, and decided (finally) that he should probably not just stand there. Ranma and the girl, Akane, had been talking in whispered tones. Then the girl left. Ryouga did the only thing he thought of, he grabbed Ranma's shoulder.  
  
"Ranma, I'm sorry. In case I can't find them will you tell her?" Ranma just nodded his stood up and started to walk away. Only stopping to pick Akane's fallen lock of hair.  
  
Ryouga was still looking at where Ranma and Akane had made their exit. Still in deep turmoil. Moments after Ranma left. There was murmuring among the crowd, which was silenced by a girl still in a school uniform that sported a short hair cut. Even though the girl was standing behind him and to his left a little bit, he could feel her cold stare. First, she glared at the crowd, the crowd shivered and they never talked about the incident again. Her gaze landed on his back until he thought that his flesh was going to be burned off, just like what liquid nitrogen does to the body when it touches the flesh. Just when it became unbearable, he turned his head to say something and suddenly found himself in the middle of South Africa.  
  
'Argh. Where the hell am I now? Curse my inability to turn my head without getting lost! I REALLY need to get back to Nerima. I can't believe I did that. I..just.. wanted to harm Ranma. I never wanted to harm innocent people, I never want to hurt somebody who is weaker than me. I'm really glad that girl was there. I wonder who she is? She MUST be a martial artist. She's REALLY fast, and probably just as skilled. I wonder what school she practices. don't get off topic. I must get back to Japan. I must apologize to that lady and girl in person. I don't want to create enemies while exacting my revenge. I just want to go back home, when I eventually find it, and live my life out in peace and quite. Maybe I'll get a girlfriend and get married and raise children. but now isn't the time to think about the distant future. I NEED to get back to Nerima to destroy Ranma and his happiness and to apologize. I wonder if they'll forgive me?"  
  
Ryouga was in such a disoriented state, that he was actually walking in the right direction. It only took him a day to get back to Japan, and now it was about midnight, Ryouga looked up and found himself in front of the place he had been searching for.  
  
"Ten.Do.Do..Jo. The Tendo Dojo. I made it!"  
  
Ryouga was too overjoyed that he had actually made it there to say anything else for about five minutes. He was memorizing the hue of the sky, the beauty of the moon, alignment of the planets, and the formation of the stars. He took note of the crickets playing there sad melodies, and the ant..  
  
Suddenly Ryouga snapped out of his euphoria when he realized he better go in before he got lost, again.  
  
"Tonight Ranma, Tonight's the night you are going to pay!"  
  
Instead of rushing into the house and frantically searching for his opponent, Ryouga decided to walk slowly through the house following the right handed rule (follow the walls while keeping you right hand on the wall.)  
  
Two hours and several closets later. Ryouga pushed open the door of Ranma and Akane's bedroom.  
  
Akane was having a hard time falling asleep. After the excitement tonight, something wasn't sitting well with her. Ranma had long ago attained the bliss of sleep, but Akane was still half awake and trying to preoccupy her thoughts by the sound of his steadily beating heart. It didn't work though, and her thoughts became more sinister. 'If Ranma's enemies are starting to show up, when will mine? They can't be far away. Sensei had told me he would try to keep them off my back for as long as possible, but how long will that be? Oh well, you can't live your life in fear when you are a martial artist. I should go to bed.'  
  
A few minutes later.  
  
'This isn't working. Kodachi, grr, I CAN'T believe she did that to Ranma. Eww. I'll get her good! But enough of this I should be asleep.' By now it is two in the morning. Akane finally calmed herself down enough to be in a half conscious mode. She was embracing the last step before the all mighty wave of blissful sleep over took her, when she heard the door knob turn, and the door open.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Ryouga was standing in the doorway. He stood stock still. The darkness was talking to him. Sure there was moon light from the window but it didn't quiet reach the other half of the room. Ryouga assumed that the voice was coming from a bed, but he could be wrong.  
  
"Hi, Sorry, I was looking for Ranma, I need to speak to him."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Ryouga Hibiki."  
  
"Okay, I'll let you talk to him. On one condition, you tell me why you are taking revenge on Ranma."  
  
"Why should I do that?"  
  
"Because you couldn't find him on your own if you tried for a week."  
  
"."  
  
"Besides, he's my friend I would like to know what horrible thing he has happened to you."  
  
"Well, it all started with." Ryouga described the battle zone commonly known as the cafeteria of an all boys high school, and how Ranma always stole his bread. "And then he skipped out on the duel and ran to China. I followed him, and that's when I saw hell."  
  
"What's this hell you speak of?"  
  
"I don't have to answer that."  
  
"I don't have to show you where Ranma is."  
  
"Promise not to hate me? Or make fun of me? Or think differently of me?"  
  
"Upon my word as a martial artist."  
  
"Well, There I was in the middle of rural China. I was on a cliff overlooking a bunch of springs with bamboo shoots sticking out of them. When suddenly a panda running panda knocked me off balance and a girl kicked me in the head causing me to slip off the cliff and fall head first into one of the springs.."  
  
"and?"  
  
"When doused with cold water I turn into a little black piglet."  
  
"Really? That's not so bad."  
  
"NOT SO BAD!!!"  
  
"Shh. you don't want to wake up the entire house, do you?"  
  
"You've got no idea the horrors I've been through because that curse, I. wait I minute you don't mind the curse?"  
  
"No, not really. Here's Ranma."  
  
Ryouga had been keeping his eyes on the dark outline of the bed, he still couldn't see anything, but he did hear an audible ::thump:: and a groan.  
  
"Ungh?"  
  
Ranma squinted up to make out the form of Akane still lying in bed. He couldn't make out much because it was dark in the room.  
  
"Ranma, you have a visitor!"  
  
Ranma rose from the floor, and into the light so that Ryouga could see him.  
  
"Who? Ack. Ryouga? How did you get here so fast?"  
  
Akane giggled from her position on the bed. It was really much too early in the morning for regular thought processes to start.  
  
"Why, Ranma, to fight you. Of course, Now go on you two don't chat all day, do you want to get this over with or not? And one more thing, TRY to be quiet and not wake up the entire house? Goodnight!"  
  
With that both males in the room, heard rather than saw Akane roll over and go back to bed. Ranma walked over to the window and opened it.  
  
"Let's go out this way."  
  
Ryouga followed Ranma closely, his mind now totally consumed of the prospect of fighting.  
  
Even though neither of them yelled, screamed, talked, or even whispered, for neither really wanted to know the wrath of Akane. It could be said that it was indeed a silent fight. Except for all the noise of the scuffle itself, so instead of sounding like a fight, it sounded more like a burglary attempt.  
  
About a half an hour after the first punch was thrown, Akane heard a soft knocking on her door.  
  
"Coming!"  
  
Akane silently got out of bed and opened the door. She found both of her sisters outside her door. Their faces dimly shown in the moonlight, and it was enough to give away how scared they were.  
  
"Come on in!"  
  
Both girls filed into her bedroom. They turned around, and Kasumi spoke first.  
  
"Did you hear those noises?"  
  
"Noises? Oh, you must mean Ranma and Ryouga. They're fighting in the back yard."  
  
Nabiki sat down on the chair and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh? We thought it was a robber or something." Nabiki looked more than a little relieved, and by a second glance so was Kasumi.  
  
There was an awkward silence between the three sisters, or it might be more accurate to describe it as two siblings and a stranger. In either case it was awkward, it was so silent in the room that you could hear a pin drop, or is would have been silent if the only sound in the room was the sound of the scuffle outside.  
  
"I think.. I'll go down there and 'persuade' them to fight somewhere else."  
  
Akane practically flew from the room, the heavy air in the room was having an effect on her.  
  
"I though I *told* you two not to wake up the entire house!?!"  
  
Akane looked *real* intimidating in her wrinkled shirt and pajama bottoms while trying to straighten her ruffled hair and rubbing sleep from her eyes. Then again, looks can be deceiving.  
  
Ranma was getting ready to attack Ryouga from across the koi pond, when his head snapped towards the porch where Akane was heading. In accordance to anime rule #345 which states: Even if the character had enough momentum to make it over what ever space they were trying to mount, if the character loses concentration the character will fall straight down. Ranma did fall, he fell square in the middle of the Koi pond.  
  
Ryouga, who was standing by the edge of the koi pond, was getting ready to defend himself when he heard Akane yell out to them. Ryouga was distracted in that one second space it took Ranma to fall into the koi pond. The price for Ryouga's distraction: his humanity.  
  
When Ranma surfaced from the koi pond, he gasped for air. It was rather cold outside now that he was wet. Ranma wanted to shiver when a breeze hit him, but he was too distracted to let his body respond.  
  
"Where's Ryouga?"  
  
The, oh, so observant Ranma didn't notice the pile of clothes laying in a pile where Ryouga had just been until a second ago.  
  
"Ryouga! Get back here!"  
  
Ranma jumped out of the koi pond at full speed, and in two leaps was over the compound wall and well on his way down the street.  
  
Akane, who had watched the whole thing through sleep ridden eyes, now counted her fingers to make sure two plus two still equaled four. She finally concluded that Ranma was a blind idiot, and went across the yard to pick up Ryouga's clothes that were now in a crumpled pile by the koi pond. Akane knelt down and looked closely at the clothes.  
  
"Ryouga?"  
  
Akane smiled when she saw a little black snout popping out of the top of the shirt. She picked the bundle up, piglet and all, and headed towards the kitchen.  
  
A steaming kettle of water, yes a steaming kettle of water, funny how such a common occurrence could be such of such focus in a persons life. Oh, the thought of the nice and round golden goddess of the hot water. The sweet and indiscriminate goddess who gives all what they need, and yet the tingly sensation of the too hot water goes away within a few seconds, and it hardly takes away the joys of receiving such a gift as a hot kettle. There was only one down turn of the kettle goddess, she gives the gift you ask for, but she seems to have a sense of humor. Either that, or she doesn't care who you are and what situation you are in as long as you get what you want.  
  
So Ryouga sat on the floor near his clothes watching Akane, grateful yet fearful, grateful that she was so nice to him, and dreading the embarrassment that this would cause. You see, not only does he turn human; he turns into a naked human.  
  
Akane kept glancing at Ryouga. She wanted to make sure that he didn't lose himself. The world was hard enough to survive in as a human; she didn't even want to know what it would be like to live it as a piglet. Finally, it was warm enough to pour on Ryouga. Akane walked over to where Ryouga was patiently waiting. Both people closed their eyes as the water began to flow over the piglet's /soon-to-be Ryouga's head.  
  
'God, it seems to be getting colder and colder out here. Where the hell is Ryouga? Gee, what a sight I must be. Ok, I'm just a random red-head girl at the moment. I am running down the street at three in the morning. Of course, I'm only wearing my regular boxers and undershirt, which happens to be white and rather see-through. Also, on top of that, there's also the fact that I happen to be a double-D cup size, and I have no bra on... yep I must be every dirty man's fantasy.' A shiver went down Ranma's spine. He is VERY self conscious about how he looked as a female. It just didn't make him comfortable having guys drooling all over him.  
  
"Ryouga, where the hell are you?"  
  
Ranma was still running, he was almost he was almost at Doctor Tofu's, He had been running up a down every street and alley way in the area. 'Oh well, I tried, he'll find me eventually.' With that Ranma turned around and started back towards the Tendo Dojo while half heartedly trying to find Ryouga.  
  
Akane and the former pig, Ryouga, were sitting at the table sipping at tea. Except for the occasional sound of a sip, the room was deathly quiet. Akane kept glancing at the clock, and Ryouga found the grooves in the wood table awfully interesting. They sat in silence, and silence sat with them. So, in other words if it weren't for the occasional sip of tea, a person could be fooled into believing everyone was in bed and getting a decent night's sleep, leaving people to wonder why the lights were on in that room down stairs. The silence was so thick, it could be cut with a steak knife, or the Russian Rusty Red Hot Spork of Doom. The silence was so heavy that little ants were crushed by the weight of it.  
  
'Thank god I'm home! I'm freezing! That's it I'm taking a shower and going to bed'  
  
Ranma walked into the doorway, wiped his feet on the welcome mat, and walked silently towards the stares. On the way to the stairs, though, Ranma saw a light in the family room, and decided to look and see who exactly was up. He opened the door and. "Ryouga!"  
  
Ryouga, surprised, Jumped from the table and landed in a defensive. Seeing that it was Ranma, Ryouga acted on conditioned reflex.  
  
"Prepare to Die!"  
  
Ryouga lunged towards Ranma, but never got there. He never even saw it coming. All of a sudden, I mean in mere milliseconds. Ryouga was pinned against the wall by several bladed objects, and he felt a razor sharp metallic object placed on his jugular. He couldn't have swallowed if he tried. The only thing he could do was to stare into Akane's chestnut eyes.  
  
"Listen, Ryouga keep your voice down or I'll rip out your voice box. There are people trying to sleep in this house and it would be appreciated if you wouldn't disturb them."  
  
With that Akane turned her back on Ryouga, and the weapons that had previously pinned Ryouga suddenly seemed to disappear. Ryouga stood stalk still, too shocked to move. Akane moved towards the door, she half opened the door and took a step to walk outside before turning her head to speak to Ranma.  
  
"You must be freezing! Might I suggest you both take a shower before retiring for the night."  
  
With that Akane seemed to disappear, her shadow may have stayed only just slightly longer than body did.  
  
Seconds later Akane was in bed once again. 'Geez. Boys, they have no respect for those around them, making noises at all hours of the night. Males are so frustrating sometimes. I wonder where Ryouga is going to sleep tonight?'  
  
Akane decided that she didn't want to be waken up with the problem, so she took a little pillow off the bed and placed it on the corner of the desk. She had a hunch that Ryouga was going to be in pig form when he was looking for a bed. She promptly fell asleep, too exhausted to care how things would turn out.  
  
Downstairs..  
  
Both males blinked at the vacant spot where Akane had just been. Ranma snapped out of the trance like state they had been in first, and took action. He took Ryouga by the collar and forcefully dragged him to the bathroom.  
  
When they had both stripped naked, Ranma dragged Ryouga into the furo by the back of his bandana, he wasn't too gentle and sent Ryouga flying towards the tub, which had been filled, but was now cooled down to the temperature of the air outside. In other words, the water was cold.  
  
"Squee!"  
  
Ryouga let out a single squee as he struggled not to drown in the tub, pigs aren't exactly buoyant, but Ryouga didn't want his voice box removed from his body. Just enough noise to knock Ranma out of his stupor of finding his friend suddenly transformed. Ranma reached into the tub, picked Ryouga up by his bandana and hoisted him up so that they were eye level.  
  
Time almost stopped for Ryouga, he was mortified. What was his biggest enemy going to say about his curse? How much would Ranma poke fun at him? What would be his first words be? Why did he have to find out? Ryouga's thought processes were running time and a half, while his body decided it would be fun to stop breathing.  
  
Ranma was surprised when his friend had transformed. Now, he was picking him up from the tub. 'Hell, yep, hell' Ranma's only thought processes on the relatively short haul of Ryouga from tub to eye level.  
  
Ranma looked directly into Ryouga's eyes with all the sympathy and compassion he could muster, and took in a deep breath.  
  
"Look man, I'm sorry about your curse. Believe me, I understand what you're going through. I'm serious, I'm truly sorry about it."  
  
The words of apology/sympathy were foreign on Ranma's tongue and in order to convince himself that he had even said it the first time, he apologized twice.  
  
Ryouga had glared into Ranma's face while he was saying it. He was deeply searching for any sign of Ranma lying, but all his face showed was honesty. Sure, the words he was saying didn't match what he usually said, but he was deeply sincere about what he said. It seemed to satisfy Ryouga, somewhat.  
  
Soon, they were both sitting in the bath tub male and human, human and male. Both men in deep thought.  
  
"So."  
  
Ranma wanted to break the oppressive silence.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Well, after a certain coward in the room that shall remain nameless, skipped out on our fight. I was forced to follow him to China."  
  
"Ryouga, I waited for you on the lot behind your house for three days." Ryouga ignored the comment.  
  
"I searched for the coward for weeks, and then one day I was standing on a cliff looking down at a strange place that was misty with a lot of little pools with bamboo poles sticking out. And then a panda came running up from behind me and ran into me. I was regaining my balance when a girl with red hair and a pig tail kicked me into the valley below. If it weren't for the girl I wouldn't have been cursed!"  
  
"Umm. you blamed ME for seeing hell, shouldn't you be directing your anger towards that girl and her panda. wait a minute.. a girl and a.."  
  
Just then Genma had the sudden urge to take a bath. We will never be sure why, but many will presume it was just the fact that Genma took pride in doing everything possible opportunity to screw Ranma out of happiness and complicating situations. He saw Ranma and Ryouga and decided to wait until the morning, and left.  
  
Ryouga was shocked to see that the Tendos had a pet panda, then it clicked.  
  
"A panda.. And a girl. Die!"  
  
Ryouga lunged towards Ranma who was already getting out of the tub. Ranma quickly squirted Ryouga with could water from the faucet.  
  
"Listen Ryouga, I don't want to piss off Akane, and I don't particularly want to lose my voice box. So stop this!"  
  
Ryouga was livid, but the Akane incident was still at the top of his head. So he decided that the vengeance of heaven is slow but sure, and that he could wait until the morning to deliver a quick yet painful death to Ranma.  
  
Ranma decided he had enough bathing for one night, and got dressed. He almost, not quite forgot to grab Ryouga. Both of them crept quietly up the stairs, so painstakingly quite that Ranma didn't even voice his pain when he stubbed his toe on the top stair. Ranma bit his lip while Ryouga looked smug.  
  
The door slid with a slight creaky noise, it normally wouldn't have been loud enough for the two martial artists to even take notice of, but now it made both of them flinch. Ranma opened his mouth to speak, then he thought better of it. He decided that not waking Akane would be a good option. Ranma was creeping towards the bed, stopping once or twice to step around imaginary stepping stones. Total stealth mode. Ranma was about to nudge Akane and ask her what the hell he was supposed to do about Ryouga, when the moonlight highlighting the cushion pillow on the desk. Ranma discarded Ryouga onto the cushion pillow similar to how a little child puts away a toy at the end of the day: none too gently. He quickly climbed into bed with Akane, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Leaving an indignant pig glaring at him until the glaring pig gave up and settled down for sleep.  
  
Ryouga lay on his cushion thinking, no matter how angry he had been at Ranma, he couldn't seem to find any at the moment. His mind kept wandering to less important and less violent thoughts about Ranma. Mostly, though, he pondered the relationship of the two people in the bed. One side effect of his curse, you see, was a sharper sense of smell. Ryouga could smell ki. When people touch each other, a ki signature is left on the persons body for a temporary amount of time, so he could smell if a person had recently been touched, hugged, kissed, and/or had **cough**.  
  
Okay, so smell may not be the best word for it. Ryouga didn't really "smell" per say, just like Ranma couldn't "see" Akane doing her ki manipulation. It is impossible to see, hear, touch, or smell. People only perceive that they are. Ki is the energy your body has in order to do daily tasks like walking or peeing. Energy is neither created nor destroyed only transferred into other mediums. So, then, how do people get away with describing ki? They explain ki by using senses that people normally possess like sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. Everybody, at some point in their life could have sworn that animals have some magical ability to make people feel better. How do they know? They don't, but they can (at least in theory) sense disturbances in people's ki. That's why a trained dog can warn people if they are going to have a seizure, and why people live longer if they have a pet. When I say Ryouga "smelt" I mean like someone says they can taste the smell of ever green or taste the scent of chocolate, or smell the rain or snow. Those words don't exactly fit, but the general population nods their head and knows exactly what they're talking about. Pigs may have keen eyesight, but Ryouga could have sworn he could smell the ki fields of those around him. In fact, though it was Ryouga's seventh sense telling him to interpret what he was feeling as a smell. Ryouga tried not to smell these two people, but curiosity kills the little black piglet, and what he smelled didn't match what he knew was going on in the bed.  
  
'Now that's odd. Their ki is very similar, VERY similar, it's hard to smell the difference. There's one thing though, their ki's are TOTALLY separate. I mean usually people who are just friends, they at least smell like they've touched each other. It smells like this is the first time they had ever met was tonight and this was the first time that he had ever been in her bed. I KNOW better because I heard how Akane shoved Ranma out of the bed. I wonder what their relationship is? I mean he IS sleeping with her. They're too old to be sharing a bed and just be friends. They haven't kissed, hugged, or done anything intimate so they probably aren't married. Maybe she's his girlfriend? But wouldn't they have kissed, or at least held hands? I wish I could ask Ranma, now it's going to bother me all night. Look at him, he seems to have gotten on nicely with his life even after he got cursed. Maybe I should try that. I should give this all up and get a girlfriend and settle down.' Ryouga seriously debated calling it quits, then he shook his little piggy head 'That little bastard, he has such a perfect life: a home a family and a cute girlfriend. He DESERVES some grief in his life, and I'm going to give it to him. Maybe I can try to settle down while still trying to get revenge, just not tell anybody. It's about time I had a place I could call home, and it's about time I get to know somebody I can call a friend.' Yes you heard that right, you didn't read it wrong. Ryouga decided that Ranma and him were friends, and because they were friends it was his job to cause Ranma grief for his past actions. He's a sort of Jiminy Cricket of the modern age. Ryouga drifted from one thought to the next until he finally fell asleep.  
  
End Chapter  
  
IAN (Interactive author's notes)  
  
Get a sheet of paper a write down: an -ing verb verb adjective action verb adjective  
  
Now read and fill in the blanks with the appropriate words  
  
Ranma and Akane were -ing verb on the couch, when Ukyou suddenly verb in the room. Ukyou looked really adjective and had a strange look on her face. Ranma asked Ukyou what was the matter. Ukyou action verb from the room in tears, leaving a very adjective Ranma and Akane behind.  
  
THAT was a REALLY BAD reenactment of an ad-lib. You know, the funny little pamphlets you used to pick up at the dollar store. It's supposed to be funny how the wrong word fits so perfectly in the blank. I think someone should do a REAL ad-lib fanfiction. I would read it and get a few kicks out of it. I'm surprised nobody has done this REALLY easy fanfic idea yet.  
  
I remember why I was avoiding descriptions: descriptions are the devil. I once read a fanfic, it was REALLY good, except the author was ranting about a yellow dress for a chapter and a half, and two chapters later the SAME dress was blue. Let's just say that anything that doesn't make sense, or doesn't add up is made either with or without my knowledge, and it would be appreciated if it would be pointed out. Sometimes, it was just because when I was reading it over, it wasn't a spelling or grammer mistake. Sometimes it is just something I haven't explained yet. Author's do that to people so that when they read more of the story they go "OOOHHHH NOW I GET IT!!!". It could just be that the detail was so insignificant that this author didn't care, or it made sense to her because it's been in her head, and reads it differently from the reader. In any case let me know. I'll do more details, or at least try.  
  
I'm sorry for the shortness of this chapter, hopefully I'll get Kodachi over with next chapter.  
  
Note To self: never EVER incorporate anything like REAL physics to anime EVER again. After I posted it, it was brought to my attention that I had forgotten to consult my Physics book. So I consulted my Physics book, and I rewrote the bandana part. The only problem now is applying it to the real world. Okay, so I have a little too much time on my hands. I ACTUALLY tried it to make sure that I had actually got it right. Try this at home at some point please: 1) find a bandana/piece of cloth, and fold it so that it has three corners 2) try and spin the cloth 3) find out that the cloth doesn't spin well or fast enough to be conclusive 4) Tie identical knots on either end of where you folded the bandana. 5) try spinning the cloth by holding it on the knot and then throw it 6) hold the bandana so that the knot is hanging out of the bottom of your hand (you should be grasping the middle of the cloth) spin and toss the bandana 7) fold the bandana again so that both of the knots are being spun and fling it.  
  
I found that no matter how I threw it, it didn't really spin after I let go of the cloth. Sure it went farther than I thought it would, but it didn't spin. ::shrugs:: technically it wasn't even the stupid bandanas that cut off Akane's hair, but Ryouga's belt, but this is an AU so I'm allowed to have discrepancies here and there. Please let me know if you ACTUALLY tried it and got different results, I'm curious.  
  
Questions? Comments? Concerns? DEBATES? It's called reviewing/email/Aim/ICQ 


	11. Ku

Chapter 9  
  
The soothing sound of water being evenly poured into a porcelain glass early in the morning is therapeutic for the soul. The warmness of the cup as hands are placed on it, reminds us of the warmth little things, how completely calming they can be. Swallowing hot liquid while closing eyes and between deep breathes is a wonder way to solve all of life's problems.  
  
Nodoka Saotome hadn't had much sleep. Not much at all. She was haunted by her decision about what to do with Akane. She had a sick feeling all night, and if she didn't know better she would think it was a guilty conscience. Well, in order understand Nodoka a little more I think it's overdue that I take you back in time and place, formally I would say that it's time for a flash back. **Flash back**  
  
It was a beautiful day, a beautiful day in May. I was partially clouded, but the sun still seeped through the clouds to warm up the body and spirit. It was a beautiful day for a stroll, and Nodoka now found herself taking one in the park. She was now berating herself.  
  
'Sure, today, of all days I JUST HAD to go for a stroll in the park. Today not ONLY is the six month anniversary of my son and husband's departure, but it's also mothers day. Look at all those happy mothers spending the day with their children. I know I should be strong, but times like this I feel like going under a rock and dying. I am a mother with no child of my own to spend this wonderful holiday.'  
  
People who have never been away from their children can never grasp the full range of feelings a mother has. The only ones who come close are those who have lost their children prematurely. Nodoka was a proud and respectable woman though, and refused to cry over such a silly thing. She was raised as a samurai's daughter, she would adapt. It just hurt so bad that she could burst. This was currently her third time around the park. Why would she subject herself to such torture? Well it really started with the first revolution of the park.  
  
A girl had caught her eye, she couldn't be older than six or seven. She had beautiful black hair with blue high-lights. She was sitting on a park bench near the front of the park, it overlooked the rest of the park. The girl had a beautiful white carnation with pink tips and a really long step in her lap along with a card. The girl was all alone, as in nobody was with her. From the quick glance that Nodoka directed at the girl, she picked up a feeling that was unexpected. Instead of seeing anticipation of meeting someone, Nodoka only saw pensive look like the girl was taking in all of the happiness around her and was trying to treasure it as her own. If the people closest to this girl hadn't been so into their own worlds, they would've been compelled to inquire about the girl's look, but since people are too absorbed in their own little world they simply ignored this girl.  
  
Nodoka noticed her.  
  
Akane was sitting on a park bench. It was truly a beautiful day, it matched the holiday but not Akane's feelings. Akane was sitting on the park bench alternating looking wistfully down at the carnation in her lap, and looking wistfully at the happy families spending time in the park. 'Sure, Sensei drops me off in many places and then makes me fend for myself, but this is torture. He could have waited until after mother's day. This is the worst holiday. He puts me into a new school a week ago, and told them the same lie he tells the rest. He tells them that the rest of my family had been killed in a horrible accident, and that the memory was too painful for me to handle. Now, even the mere mention of my last name will send me into a painful seizure that will leave me comatose until my body erases the memory again. What a load of horse-pu! The truth is that I don't have a last name, or at least Sensei doesn't want me to know if I have a family. So my teachers call me Akane Akane, or just Akane. I can't stand it, I don't want people to know that I've been sold by my family (what ever their name) to my Sensei. I wonder what my mom is like? Today was the worst in class, the teacher made us all make letters to our mothers, it was painful, being shoved in my face. As I looked around the class I could see people thinking of their own mothers as they wrote the letters, and I couldn't. What am I going to do with this now? I'm a martial artist, I shouldn't feel this pain, but I do. I wonder what my family is doing today? I wonder if I look like my mother or father?' Akane looked up, almost jealous as happy mothers and daughters strolled by her. That's when somebody caught her attention. She looked like a real respectable person, honorable you might say. Her posture and stance hinted at her training as a martial artist and the wrapped weapon she carried everywhere looked like it could be a Katana. Akane for the next fifteen or so minutes was pondering how useful have a wrapped Katana would be, until the lady passed again. Then Akane was curious about why she was at the park. Akane thought dimly that it was probably to meet up with her child. Akane wondered what that wonderful woman's child was like.  
  
This was currently Nodoka's fourth time around the park, each time Nodoka passed the little girl, she was drawn to her, as if by an invisible force. Nodoka decided that enough was enough, and let her curiosity take her closer to the girl, an sat on the bench next to the bench that Akane was sitting at.  
  
Akane let out a sigh as she watched the woman pass for the fourth time. She had hoped in her innermost being that the woman would stop and talk to her. Her heart leapt into her throat as the woman walked closer, and sunk to the pits of her stomach as she sat on the bench next to hers. Somehow, Akane felt cheated.  
  
Three hours went by as the two strangers sat on the benches; the sunset was in full swing. Both strangers barely registered their surroundings because each was wondering about the other stranger. Nodoka was wondering what kind of parent would leave their child so long, and Akane wondered what kind of child would keep their parent waiting. Akane had wanted to talk to the stranger, just as much as Nodoka had wanted to start a conversation with the little girl. Both had been waiting, not wanting to be rejected by the other.  
  
Nodoka blinked as she suddenly found a white carnation with delicate pink tips and a card in her lap. She looked up from her lap and found a very flustered girl before her. The girl had her head down, hands behind her back, was swaying from foot to foot, all while blushing furiously.  
  
"Happy Mother's day." Akane said almost to herself it was so soft and timid.  
  
Nodoka smiled at the child.  
  
"Why, thank you, dear, but shouldn't you give these to your mother?"  
  
Akane broke down and started to cry, not a weeping loud cry. It was a cry of pure grief, it was a trickle of three or few droplets that her little hands had little control to stop. Nothing had the power to stop.  
  
Nodoka was surprised to see the little girl start to tear up and cry. It pulled on strings she hadn't experienced since her own child had left her six months prior. Almost breaking her heart, Nodoka got the chance to exercise her motherly instincts. She quickly knelt down to the child and wrapped her arms around the child.  
  
'I should push her away, I should be strong, I don't need anybody. It feels so good though. I can't, I can't break this embrace. I.I.feels so nice. Will Sensei hurt me for this?' Akane welcomed this complete strangers embrace and treasured the feeling for the rest of her life.  
  
"Is anybody expecting you?" Akane shook her head.  
  
"Would you like me to take you home?" Akane nodded, not trusting herself to speak.  
  
**End flash back**  
  
Nodoka remembered that night clearly, she was almost in tears even today.  
  
**Flash back**  
  
Akane had lead Nodoka through the deeper part of the park and into the nearby woods. There, next to a stream, Nodoka could see a tent and cooking utensils on the site.  
  
Akane let go of Nodoka's hand and bowed deeply.  
  
"Thank you for walking me home."  
  
Nodoka was shocked that anyone would let a six year old live in the middle of the woods. She didn't feel comfortable leaving this complete stranger here with out  
  
"Who lives with you?"  
  
Akane shook her head. It didn't really answer the question, but it made it clear to Nodoka.  
  
"Does anybody know you're here?"  
  
Again, Akane shook her head. Nodoka wasn't really sure why this girl was living in the woods all alone, but her motherly instincts wouldn't let her just leave this child in the middle of the woods.  
  
"Would you like to live with me?" Akane perked up, nodded, bowed, and was packed and ready to go within five minutes.  
  
**end flashback**  
  
Nodoka smiled as she remembered the first night she brought Akane home. Akane had wanted to set up in the corner of her yard. She didn't want to be an inconvenience. Somehow, she had convinced Akane that it was her pleasure and to stay in her house in one of the rooms. It had been a great feat, and now looking back Nodoka laughed at Akane's persistence. As soon as Akane's shoes were off Nodoka suggested Akane take a shower while she prepared a small dinner for the two of them. Akane had argued that she should prepare dinner in thanks for allowing herself to be so graciously accepted into her home. It took the better part of ten minutes to convince Akane otherwise. While Akane was in the shower, she wondered what kind of dinner Akane would have prepared. She was only six after all.  
  
Akane had been really quiet while waiting for dinner, and exceptionally polite during dinner. She complimented her food graciously, but Nodoka noticed that even though Akane's eyes said that she was still hungry, Akane never asked for seconds. Nodoka had gone to the kitchen to put away the dishes, and by the time she came back, Akane was passed out.  
  
Nodoka smiled again. It had been awkward that night. Weird tucking in another child that wasn't yours, a child that she hadn't even asked her name yet. Funny, how sometimes things like a name seem to be less important. You don't need a name to show compassion, so until she passed out, she had forgotten to ask this child her name. Still though, she went down stairs and opened the mother's day card that the girl had made. The contents made Nodoka break down in tears, but she found out what she had been wanting: her name was Akane.  
  
Nodoka sipped her tea, yes it was very warm with old memories today.  
  
**Flash Back**  
  
Apparently Akane had gotten up around six because by the time Nodoka woke up at eight, the floors were already mopped, the walls dusted, the laundry was either hanging or in the washer, and a wonderful scent was wafting it's way to Nodoka's room. Nodoka lay in bed trying to place that smell, she hadn't smelt such good food since the last time her mom had made her breakfast. Wait a minute. breakfast..  
  
Nodoka practically flew down the stairs. Only to find herself in a sparkly clean room, confused, Nodoka went into the main room with the table and saw the huge selection of GREAT looking food on the table. Before thought processes/panic could take hold of her, Akane was there with a tea kettle asking her if she would like tea with her breakfast. How could Nodoka refuse?  
  
It was THE most delicious breakfast Nodoka had in a LONG time. The texture and sent and taste all blended perfectly practically melting in your mouth. Nodoka did nothing but praise Akane the entire meal, which made Akane blush deeply and deny that she was any good at all. While Akane was cleaning the kitchen, Nodoka looked around and noticed how busy Akane had been that morning. It was rather amazing. No more than fifteen minutes had gone by when the two of them were sitting back at the table drinking tea.  
  
"What's you name?"  
  
"My name is Akane."  
  
Nodoka nodded the letter had been very personal to Akane, it explained a lot. Nodoka had only asked the question to be polite.  
  
"You may call me Auntie or Nodoka or Auntie Nodoka."  
  
Akane's letter to her mother that was given to Nodoka had made her cry the night before. The letter had a long narrative and a long sad poem. All the letter was getting at was the fact that all Akane wanted was somebody to call family. So Nodoka decided to foster the child, even if it was temporary and not legally, Akane had no last name, so as far as Nodoka was concerned while Akane was with her neither would she.  
  
**End Flash Back**  
  
Nodoka had laid in bed last night, feeling foolish. 'How could I have not recognized my own son's name? Probably because Akane forgot to add the Saotome at the end of Ranma, they had never used last names, so why start now?'  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
"Akane Tendo prepare to die!" A feminine voice rang out across the school lawn as she was leapt down from the tree she had been hiding in.  
  
Akane calmly caught the bokken the girl was wielding with one hand.  
  
"KKKodachi the Black Rose." Ranma said to himself with a shudder. 'Why the hell is she here? Kowaii (scared).'  
  
"You again? You've got a lot of nerves. Now you attack out in the open and while it's daylight."  
  
"Attack? I merely came to visit with my Darling Ranma."  
  
"So then why don't you go visit him then?" Akane threw Kodachi, with the hand still clutching the bokken, across the school lawn and over to Ranma.  
  
"Urk." If Ranma hadn't had the sense to back away, Kodachi would have landed fast first into Ranma. Ranma got lucky for a change that his reflexes were actually right when it came to a girl.  
  
Kodachi did a flip and landed on her feet, she wore a blush on her face.  
  
"Oh, Ranma, shall we pick up where we left off last night?"  
  
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean I gotta go. um. yeah that's it.. I gotta go. See you later." Ranma didn't feel comfortable around Kodachi. He was totally flustered and practically ran from the scene. Kodachi was in hot pursuit.  
  
"Ranma darling, wait!"  
  
While Ranma looked behind him to make sure that Kodachi wasn't making anymore paralysis powder, he ran smack into Kuno.  
  
"Saotome, what grudge do you bear against me?"  
  
"Oh man, Kuno I ain't got the time for this.. urr." Every muscle in Ranma's body was screaming to be let go as Kodachi latched on to him. There was just something about this girl that made him uneasy.  
  
"Raaannnnnmaaa darling."  
  
"hmmm" Kuno circled Ranma and then clapped his hands around them in approval. "Very well, you may date with her."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Ranma Darling did you hear? This means we're officially a couple!"  
  
"Hey wait a minute! Not so fast! Going out with you is the last thing I want, get it?...hmmurr" Ranma lost his mean guy resolve as he saw Kodachi's eyes filled with tears.  
  
"YOU HATE ME THEN, IS THAT IT?" Kodachi screeched at Ranma.  
  
"NO, no, it's just that I."  
  
"YOU DO HATE ME, I CAN TELL! DON'T LIE TO ME!!!"  
  
"I told you already that's not it." Ranma's resolve was totally lost, he could never stand up to a woman who was crying. He ran to Akane and put his hands over her shoulders.  
  
"I have a fiancée, see? That's why you gotta."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Come on Akane, back me up."  
  
"You are pathetic." Though Akane was now amused somewhere deep down inside her. It was hilarious exactly how awkward he was with the opposite sex. Mostly, though, she was livid that she was now just an excuse. I mean seriously 'I can't go out with you because. well just blame Akane.' Akane was not particularly amused.  
  
"Fiancé? Akane Tendo, is my Ranma darling your fiancé?"  
  
Akane looked up to Ranma before she answered Kodachi.  
  
"More or less." 'That's it, he's going pay later today in 'training.''  
  
Kodachi pulled out a ribbon from her blouse.  
  
"Well, well, well." Kodachi used the ribbon like a whip. "How about it? The winner of the tournament gets to take Ranma Saotome."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What did you say? You're crazy!" Akane and Ranma said simultaneously.  
  
Kuno bumped Ranma away and grabbed Akane's shoulder. "But Akane, it's perfect. You need but lose and you are rid of him forever."  
  
"Hmhmhmhmhahahaha." Kodachi giggled from behind her hand. "No need for that dear. The beating I'm planning on giving you will be more than sufficient."  
  
Akane just looked at her like she had just grown another head.  
  
"Ranma darling, when the match is over. you'll be all mine." Kodachi said this as she brought a black rose up to her lips, while Ranma suppressed an involuntary shudder. She started to twirl her ribbon again and this time it was shedding black rose petals.  
  
"Until then, Adue. BHAHAHAHAHAHA" Kodachi leapt across the school lawn and all the way to St. Hebereke.  
  
"Wait a minute! I NEVER agreed to the challenge!" Akane found herself not only not amused, but talking to air and black rose petals.  
  
"That woman is totally insane." Kuno pointed out. "Saotome, I'm counting on you to look after my sister."  
  
::dramatic pause:: "Wait a minute here! Your WHAT?"  
  
"My sister, what, are you deaf?"  
  
"SISTER?" Two surprised voices rang out together.  
  
"Bare with her weakness which I think precedes from wayward sickness and no grounded mouth. I love her well." ::clears throat:: "yes." Kuno looks over his shoulder to Akane. "Be wary of her at the tournament, Akane. Already a vision of you in your leotard drives me to madness." Then Kuno walked off with somewhat dignity. If only BOTH Ranma and Akane's stomach would stop trying to spill their breakfast.  
  
"Now that I think about it they're IDENTICAL."  
  
Akane stormed off into school, not happy with the whole affair, with Ranma following her closely.  
  
Later in the evening in the Tendo Dojo..  
  
Ranma whole left side was paralyzed from a shiatsu technique, and the other half of his body was dearly trying fend himself from Akane's deadly attack with the ribbon. He was failing. Ranma was being beaten down to the point where he would eventually just he a bloody stain on the dojo floor.  
  
Not really, but to Ranma it sure did feel like it.  
  
::gasp:: "You know Akane. you aren't fighting like someone using Anything Goes."  
  
"I'm not?"  
  
"I thought you wanted to start."  
  
"I do."  
  
"Then why don't we start now? First of all the idea behind the Anything Goes techniques is to always make them think like they can win, try and make it as close a fight as possible. Never let an opponent know your full strength. Always make them think that you had gotten lucky, and that if they trained a little harder they could beat you."  
  
"Okay. but don't you get a lot of enemies that way?"  
  
"Sure, but it keeps life interesting." ::snort:: "Yeah, REAL interesting. Maybe I SHOULD lose to Kodachi, then I'll be honor bound to never see you ever again. Bai bai!"  
  
"More training, less talking."  
  
Ranma suddenly found his second wind for training, though it was hard to tell who was training whom. Akane was learning techniques, but Ranma was the sorer of the two when the night was over.  
  
***  
  
Nodoka had just stopped by the post office to drop off her letter to Akane. She was somewhat surprised to find another letter waiting for her already in her mailbox. She hurried home in order to read her letter all the quicker.  
  
Dear Nodoka,  
  
Today Ranma and I overslept. We went out for lunch. I guess it would be our first date. While searching for a place to eat, Ranma saved a bunch of girls from being beaten up. It turns out that they are part of martial arts rhythmic gymnastics. Ranma promptly volunteered me to fight for them. I was kind of mad at Ranma, but when I met the girl I'll be facing I'm glad I'll have the opportunity to teach her a lesson! Just now, she came into my room, and tried to attack me. Then Ranma accidentally knocked her out with the door when he came in. Then she tried to seduce him right there in front of me. I think she has a few screws loose. The tournament is next week; could you find time to find me a leotard?  
  
Love,  
  
Akane Tendo  
  
Thank the gods that Nodoka was sitting at the table as she read the letter. She dropped the letter and held her hand to her chest to try and control her heart rate. 'Tendo?'  
  
Akane was taking a shower, more specifically, she was shaving. She had accidentally thrown a club that had hit Ranma in the head, he would be out for about a half an hour, just enough time for Akane to take a nice relaxing shower and head off to bed. Akane was shaving, but her mind was in other places.  
  
Akane smiled as she thought of her dream: Ranma and her were having a picnic. They had found a wonderful park with the cherry trees in full blossom. They both sat under the beautiful trees, enjoying wonderful food, and laughing at the beggar that seemed to have schizophrenia named Kodachi. They were having a wonderful time, talking and getting to know each other and having a blast talking about past training adventures. Yes everything was going well. Ranma even tried to kiss her, they were both leaning in for the kiss, when she woke up.  
  
All the best dreams are left undone.  
  
Ranma was laying on the Dojo floor.  
  
He had been awake ever since Akane had told him that she was taking a shower and going to bed. She thought he was unconscious, but he merely feigned it. He wanted to remain by himself for a little while, spread out on the dojo floor. He wanted to think about his dream.  
  
He had dreamed of Akane. He had not only dreamed about her, he DREAMED about her. They, according to his dream, had over the next couple of months, gotten to know each other well. He wasn't sure on what intellectual level, because they never spoke in his dream. His dream was a bit more physical. The type of physical were my male readers will shake their head in acknowledgement and drool will form on the sides of their lips, and female readers will look at the male readers reaction and take out a super mallet and pound the males into the ground for being a hentai. One word: lemony-lime. ;P.  
  
Ranma closed his eyes and tried to place the images back in his mind, but they were the type of images that only the subconscious can see, and if you're conscious it doesn't work. He remembered how nice the dream was, until he was thrown out of the bed, that is. **Chibi Flashback** Ranma almost didn't wake up this morning, for he was dreaming that he and Akane were being a little ruff and both were tumbling to the ground, so the fall to the ground didn't wake him up like it usually does.  
  
Akane had little time to notice, because a certain black piglet that was asleep until he heard the thud, leapt onto Ranma and bit into his flesh. Ryouga bit down on Ranma's forearm, hard, he bit enough to draw blood.  
  
"Argh! Stupid pig!" Ranma's first conscious action was to pick Ryouga off his body and slam him to the ground. Ryouga ran from the room two seconds later, with Ranma in hot pursuit.  
  
Akane looked at both of them while still in bed. "I guess I'm practicing on my own this morning."  
  
**End Flash back**  
  
Akane was now enjoying the furo, neck deep in really hot water. It was so nice, that Akane could almost fall asleep, almost. If it weren't for another zany day, it would have been perfect.  
  
**flashback**  
  
Akane was changing in the girl's locker room, she was changing into her gym shorts and shirt. There were about fifty girls in the locker room, but it was dead silent, you could hear a pin drop. Several girls were staring at her, even more would send her the occasional glance. Akane finished quickly, before anyone else. As soon as she closed the door, the sound of the usual gossip started.  
  
'Strange, I wonder what's happening? I should ask someone later.' Akane found her teacher, Yukari-sensei, and headed over to the baseball field on her own ahead of everybody. Today they were playing softball.  
  
Ranma was performing his fitness test during personal fitness today. Today's focus was the bars. He flipped around three times and did a flip before he landed on the ground. The group of boys sitting in rows waiting for their turn "ooh" and "Ah" as the teacher called the next person.  
  
"Wow! He's amazing." Hiroshi pointed out.  
  
"You know, from what I hear, Ranma went abroad to study acrobatics in China." Daisuki said, of course by "what I hear" IS interchangeable with "Nabiki informed me" even if he didn't interpret the information right.  
  
"It's kempo! Not acrobatics." Ranma sat next to the two guys who were just talking to him. They COULD be called friends, but they were more like two best friends and third wheel. They were nice enough, they were just in a different mind set. Daisuki and Hiroshi were surprised at the tone of his voice, shocked into silence, when a crystalline voice ran across the entire baseball field and beyond.  
  
"Okay, Here it comes!" It was Akane, she was the third base man err woman err person. The pitch was thrown.  
  
"I got it!" the girl said  
  
"All right! That's two outs. We can do it!" Akane was doing her best to keep her team spirits up, and the game fun for everyone.  
  
Ranma and his friends were watching the scene intently. Suddenly Ranma's new friends honed in like a pair of sharks.  
  
"So Saotome, how far have you gotten with Akane?" Hiroshi asked innocently enough. "Huh?"  
  
"Don't play innocent, you're her fiancée."  
  
"Did you do it?"  
  
"Yeah, you know."  
  
Then they both tried to strangle hold him. Hiroshi grabbed his neck, while Daisuki grabbed Ranma around the waist.  
  
"I'll bet you did at least once you know."  
  
"Huh? No way!" Ranma got out of their grasp, but didn't make a move to get up.  
  
"Then how do you explain this?" Hiroshi whipped out a photograph. Ranma stared at the photograph in shock, he didn't even see that softball coming his way. With a thud and a shooting pain, Ranma paid for his distraction.  
  
"Oops." Akane just stood there holding her bat looking in the direction of Ranma.  
  
"Aren't you a martial artist. couldn't you have caught that or dodged that or something?"  
  
"I was distracted."  
  
It was now after school, and the two of them are walking home. Ranma is actually walking on the side walk; the nurse made them promise to go to Doctor Tofu's to make sure everything was ok, she did hit him pretty hard.  
  
"So, what distracted you anyway?"  
  
Instead vocalizing, Ranma just gave Akane the photograph. She instantly blushed bright red, but she didn't vocalize her reaction, because they were right in front of Tofu's office.  
  
"There it is! I'll see you at home." Akane didn't wait for his reply, and started the relatively short trek home.  
  
As she walked home she looked at the photo graph. She looked hard. It had turned out very good, very convincing. 'No wonder none of the girls are talking to me. So, I either explain to everyone our sleeping arrangement, or people think that I'm some brand of slut.' Akane looked down at the photograph. It showed Ranma holding her, while her face was somewhat cuddled in his chest. The sheets somehow managed to cover them from the neck up, except for Akane's bare arm, and the blankets looked like they had been through a ruff night. Akane blushed, wishing that the picture was realer than it seemed.  
  
And hour later they both were practicing in the dojo, and I think, you the reader, is all caught up.  
  
**End flashback**  
  
So Ranma had, had better days, but the morning dream kept him occupied for the next half an hour. 'This is going to be a hell of a week.'  
  
That evening, after supper, Sound and Genma were sitting on the porch looking out onto the sunset.  
  
"You know Soun."  
  
"What is it old friend?"  
  
"Those two have been sleeping in the same bed for almost a week, and haven't done anything. They need to be married before.."  
  
"Agreed, but what can we do? I don't want my daughter to resent this engagement."  
  
"You're right, but the quicker they get married the better.."  
  
"Let's wait a little before doing anything."  
  
"But what about.."  
  
"Shhh. speak of the devil and he shall come." Soun shuddered. "So, how about a plan B?"  
  
Soun and Genma sat on the porch until well after sunset, staring into the koi pond trying to think about something.  
  
"I got it! How about..."  
  
***Skipping ahead in time about four days, the night before the match***  
  
Akane and Ranma were practicing in the dojo. Akane was getting good, deadly, but still needed coaching on how to play with her opponent. Akane was used to one or two effective attacks to put down an opponent, unlike the Saotome school that relies on the slow wearing out of the opponent. Akane was wearing one of the leotards that Nodoka had sent her. It was a solid pink color, Akane wasn't fond of the color, but beggars can't be choosers. It was a plain design, and it had sleeves. It got a little hot in the dojo, but it didn't affect Akane."  
  
Suddenly Kasumi's voice rang out from another room in the house.  
  
"Akane, There's a person on the phone for you!"  
  
Ranma and Akane bow to each other and hurriedly said "Good match!" and then Akane ran out of the dojo and into the room with the phone.  
  
"Mushi, Mushi!" (Hello!) Akane lipped her thanks to Kasumi for taking the phone, then turned away from her.  
  
"Yes. no. why didn't you tell me.. Uh... Kinai?...... How is she?....So..sure I guess." Akane put the receiver down, and walked past the dojo.  
  
Ranma was laying on his back in the middle of the dojo, he seemed to like to do that a lot. Akane decided to sit against the wall instead of making Ranma get up and practice.  
  
"Well.."  
  
This got Ranma's attention.  
  
"That was Tahatsusei-chan on the phone."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You know Hoppingu Tahatsusei, she was one of the girls on the martial arts gymnastics team, and she's that girl that sits catty-corner from your desk in school."  
  
Ranma nodded his head, vaguely knowing who the girl was.  
  
"Well, apparently, I need a .. I forget the word for it, a handler or something, someone to hand me my equipment during the tournament. They didn't tell me this because they already had a handler in place for me. Unfortunately, she was practicing with her friend, and tripped over a ball and sprained her ankle. Now she can't even get out of bed, let alone go to the tournament. Now, I need to find someone who knows about rhythmic arts gymnastics to be my handler."  
  
"Would this person need to wear a leotard?"  
  
"Why? I don't think so. You know somebody who will do it?"  
  
"I'll help you."  
  
"You're a guy, this is a women's only sport."  
  
"I can change into a girl."  
  
"But you're still a boy, it's not right."  
  
"Do you know of anybody else that is willing?"  
  
"I guess, technically you could be a girl, but I still don't feel right about it.. You sure you'll do this for me?"  
  
"Sure, I was planning on going to watch anyway."  
  
"Well, if you insist, but at least make up a separate identity for your girl half. That way it will be harder for people to figure out your curse."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Akane was contemplating the question for a good ten seconds, when Kasumi's voice reached them, supper was served. It was a delicious dinner. Kasumi served fresh fish with rice and pickles, nothing lavish, just tasty. Akane excused herself from the table, and went to take her shower before turning it in early. Ranma, however, sat at the table long after the dishes had been cleared away. He was contemplating what sort of name he should use. He wanted something that was similar to his name, something that if you said it fast or spelled sloppy people might mistake it for Ranma. The trick was to change only one consonant. He kept turning different combinations in his head. 'Let's see.. Ranmo.no.Ranra.no..Ranwa.sounds like the physcic Randa, no.. Ranra. sounds like I'm stuttering, no. Ranmi.no.. Ranka. sounds a little weird. What about Ranki, no, Ranku, no, Ranke, uh no maybe Ranko? Ranko Saotome, Saotome Ranko. It OKAY I guess, close enough to my name, but not too similar. I could get used to it.'  
  
Ranma suddenly seemed to burst to life as he ran up to their room to share his revelation.  
  
"Ranko Saotome!"  
  
Akane was just finishing writing her letter to Nodoka, when Ranma burst into the room.  
  
"Ranko Saotome?"  
  
"Yeah, it's cool don't you think?"  
  
Akane turned around to look at Ranma, she was about to tell him that it was a horrible name, but when she saw how proud he was of it she didn't have the heart to tell him. She only gave him a weak smile and said:  
  
"Yeah, it's cool."  
  
Akane got up from her seat and did an exaggerated stretch with her arms.  
  
"Well, I'm going to bed now, are you?"  
  
In less than two minutes both of them were asleep.  
  
Next morning at St. Herbereke high school.  
  
"A replacement?"  
  
"Yes, She's the replacement for Hoppingu Tahatsusei, she was injured last night."  
  
Kodachi was being sane this morning, almost too sane. Yes: Too sane, reasonable, and compassionate. Yes, Akane thought, she must be up to no good.  
  
"Let's shake hands before the match Mrs. Uh"  
  
"Ranko Saotome."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you Ranko-chan." Kodachi went to shake Ranma's hand, but was intercepted by Akane who had spotted the thumbtacks between her fingers.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"My however did those get there? Oh well, let me show you to the traveling team's changing room." Kodachi turned her back on the pair, and started walking briskly away. Her thoughts were belied by the fake smile put on her face. 'The stupid heretic woman and her hussy friend, I can't seem to be rid of them. Today after the match I will personally see to it that both of them suffer greatly.' Kodachi had to suppress her maniacal laughter, at least for the time being.  
  
"Mr. Saotome, what are you doing here?"  
  
Mr. Panda held up a sign ::I'm here to cheer you on::  
  
"Oh, well thank you for coming."  
  
Akane went into the little bathroom that was in the room, and changed into her leotard. She had gotten it four days ago, and wouldn't let anyone see it, the entire family had been curious as to what it looked like. The leotard was royal red in color, with a crushed-velvet rose pattern upon her right chest, the rose petal was emphasized with a golden outline. Coming out of the rose was a stem with little crushed-velvet rose buds spiraling around her body and ending by her left hip. It was a truly beautiful leotard. Akane admired the needlework before she put it on. Akane was just about to open the door when someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Akane a girl just came by and said that the match will start in two minutes."  
  
"Ok, be right out!" Akane opened the door, Ranma had to jump to avoid the door. When he looked at her leotard his eyes opened up a fraction more than he thought they could, and his mouth forgot how to work. Akane wasn't paying attention, and went straight out of the room and to the gym. Leaving Ranma still staring at where Akane used to be. Moments later, Ranma was running down the hallway after Akane.  
  
When Ranma caught up to Akane, she was leaning against the wall in the corner of the gym talking to the referee, he came up to them just in time to here that they should wait for their names to be called before she leapt into the ring.  
  
About fifty girls were under the ring. They were crouched down, huddled together in groups of five. The entire ring was set on wheels, and the girls were holding it steady, and in case their leader whistled for them they could move the ring.  
  
"Who's stupid idea was this anyway?" A girl in a green leotard huddled in the corner eating chips asked.  
  
"Kodachi's, and don't talk, some one might hear you!" A girl sitting next to the girl who was complaining responded.  
  
"Don't tell me not to talk, you're not the captain."  
  
"Neither are you, so shut up! And stop eating."  
  
"This whole thing is stupid, we aren't needed, I'll talk whenever I feel like it, and eat too. So there!"  
  
The girl rolled her eyes and raised the volume on her cd player to tune the girl out. She was witnessing a group of girls in the middle of the ring telling ghost stories. The current speaker was a particularly creepy girl whom the flashlight emphasize her features. Apparently it was scary, because on girl screeched, and another girl told her to knock it out.  
  
"Idiots." The girl closed her eyes, and yet again raised the volume on her cd player.  
  
The referee was surprised that she was called out today, usually the Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament was just cancelled do to no-shows, but it felt nice to actually be out her on the weekend doing what she enjoyed. The time was exactly one o'clock, exactly when the match was about to start. The referee took in a deep breath and stepped into the ring.  
  
"Good afternoon! Everyone, and welcome to the St. Hebereke versus Furinkan high school martial arts rhythmic gymnastics tournament!"  
  
**And there was much rejoicing. "Yay." (Monty python, gomen)** The crowd cheered, signaling that they were ready to get the show on the road.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if we could have you attention please, the rythmics gymnastics match will begin at any moment." The announcer, well, announced.  
  
"And the contestants are ready." The referee announced. The spotlight highlighted the corner from which Furinkan's competitors were coming from.  
  
"The furinkan high school competitor is entering the ring!" The announcer pointed out.  
  
Akane did a simple leap into the ring, nothing fancy, not showing off in the least. Still, though, people seemed impressed and cheered loudly. Suddenly the lights went off, then one light went on, then three, all emanating from the middle of the ceiling. It made everyone curious, and they were surprised to see kodachi being lowered on a swing in a wedding dress.  
  
"And here come's the CHAMPION." The announcer said enthusiastically. Fireworks were being sent off in the background by fireworks cannons, only one of them wasn't a firework, it was a bomb, and it was heading straight for Akane. Both Akane and Ranma dodged with seconds to spare. There was a huge explosion, and lots of smoke, when it cleared up, Kodachi was standing on the ring in her wedding dress.  
  
"Oh my goodness however did that bomb get in there? I do hope you're alright."  
  
Ranma and Akane just gave her blank stares, they weren't amused.  
  
"As usual, Kodachi makes a dramatic entrance! And isn't her outfit just lovely!" The announcer put her two sense in.  
  
'There's no real contest here. Once I defeated the little hussy, Ranma will be all mine. I shall wed you in this very dress. Oh yes, my love, oh yes. I dare it all for you.' Kodachi thought to herself as she put a black rose in her mouth and blushed.  
  
Kuno was sitting in the stands on the St. Hebereke side. He was sitting around a bunch of girls ogling at him, but he only saw two things of importance right now. Akane, and the pigtailed girl. He hadn't been expecting the pigtailed to be there, but the site of Akane in a leotard was driving him to madness. Kuno rapped his bokken on the floor before he spoke.  
  
"If Kodachi wins, then Ranma Saotome becomes my step-brother. Which means Akane and the pigtailed girl shall both be mine by default.. SMITE HER MY SISTER! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I CHEER FOR YOU!"  
  
Kodachi looked over toward her brother.  
  
"Why, brother dear."  
  
This exchange caused rumors through the crowd. Example: Two girls:"Did you hear? Her brother" "Are in love." Daisuki and Hiroshi were sitting behind them. "Hear that?" "In this case, ignorance is bliss."  
  
"And here they are ladies and gentleman." The announcer said.  
  
"In that corner from St. Hebereke school for girls is Kodachi Kuno!" Kodachi threw off her veil and dress; it was deftly caught by some blur that happened to go by the name of Sasuke. And the crowd wild. "Yay!" The referee waited until the cheers had died down. Underneath her wedding dress, Kodachi was wearing a black leotard with rose imprints (also in black) all over it.  
  
"In this corner from Furinkan High School is Akane Tendo!" Akane threw her hands up, similar to what Kodachi had done, except the cheering for Akane was twice as loud  
  
"Okay girls to the center of the ring." The referee said.  
  
Kodachi was holding a purple ribbon, while Akane had a yellow one.  
  
"Okay now shake hands."  
  
Akane went to go shake Kodachi's hand, but then grabbed her wrist and slapped her hand with her other hand. The tacks fell out from between her fingers. Akane literally had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at the girl standing before her. It didn't work the first time what make's her think it would work the second time?  
  
"Who ever wins this match gets Ranma." Kodachi said. "That's no fun I already HAVE Ranma, I don't need to fight you for that. If you when you can have Ranma, but If I win, you will never associate with him again, and he will take me.." "TAKE YOU!!!" Kodachi screeched, she couldn't believe what she had heard, seething, she was way to quick to come to conclusions for her own good. "Fine, I'm going to win any way."  
  
Akane was a little distressed that she wasn't able to complete her statement, but let the matter alone when the bell was rung by the announcer and the match begun. Kodachi started with a rope and two clubs, while Akane kept her ribbon. The only reason Kodachi was still in the ring, was because Akane wanted to have a chance to use Anything Goes techniques. Since Akane was forcing herself to prolong the match to achieve this, she simply started to count the times she could have ended the match already. The ring was still echoing and Akane had already counted ten opportunities.  
  
"Now the fight we've all been waiting for! St. Hebereke High School versus Furinkan High in an anything goes fight to the finish! The only things to attack are their tools, using their hands are strictly forbidden. There's no time limit, and to be knocked out or fall outside the ring they will automatically lose."  
  
Kodachi Attacked first. She took her piece of rope and attacked Akane with it. Akane didn't even bother to block, only making pretty designs with her ribbon as she tumbled and flipped and leaped around Kodachi.  
  
Announcer: "What a fantastic performance Kodachi wields that rope like it was a steel bar!"  
  
Akane got tired of dodging, and deftly grabbed the rope out of Kodachi's hand with her ribbon. Then she chucked it over the side of the ring where it made a clinging sound that echoed through the gym.  
  
Announcer: "Wait a minute, It is a steel bar!"  
  
Ranma: "Referee, that's a foul!" Referee: "Sorry, it's legal if she uses legal tools."  
  
Kodachi was slashing at Akane with clubs now, once again Akane didn't feel compelled to counter attack. She just dodged all of Kodachi's attack. She even managed to dodge the spiked the club. Kodachi: "BHAHAHAHA nice technique dear." Ranma: "Hey referee, she's got spikes on that thing, isn't that a foul?" Referee: "Sorry, she's using legal tools." Akane: "Don't bother the referee Ranma, I've got a handle on this." Kodachi: "We'll see about that won't we? Hoop!"  
  
The hoop missed Akane, but it did cut leotard, a little on the side. It didn't even draw blood on her. Akane was pissed.  
  
Announcer: "There it is ladies and gentlemen, that's Kodachi's trademark the razor hoop! The challenger doesn't look too pleased."  
  
Akane: "Ok, now it's time for me to go on the offensive. Clubs!"  
  
Ranma threw Akana a pair of clubs. Kodachi couldn't even see the attack, all of a sudden she was lying on her back with several bruises forming on several parts of her body, and a similar cut was in her uniform. Akane was still spinning the clubs in her hand, ready to attack her when she got up. Daisuke: "She's incredible!" Hiroshi: "Amazing, she uses those clubs just like nunchuks!" Announcer: "And the challenger has just made a very effective attack against the black rose. Will the black rose be able to recover?"  
  
Kodachi had gotten up, though in pain. She had clubs in her hands, and lunged towards Akane yelling "Attack of a thousand clubs!" Akane wasn't amused however and quickly hit the back of Kodachi's hands to make her let go of the twenty clubs that she was holding in either hand.  
  
"Kodachi's Attack of a thousand clubs was a complete bust! The two combatants are sizing each other up in the center of the ring. What will happen next?"  
  
Kodachi: "This fight has only just begun!" Kodachi picked up her ribbon, and began to twirl it. Akane didn't reply, and simply asked for her hoop. Once again, Kodachi didn't see the attack coming and found herself airborne and heading for outside the ring.  
  
Announcer: "Kodachi has been thrown right out of the ring, will this be the deciding moment?" Kodachi Whistled, and the entire ring started to move and Akane barely kept her balance.  
  
Kodachi: "hahaha. foolish girl, don't you realize that 'out' is an impossibility for me?"  
  
Akane stared un-amused at Kodachi, her only response was to whistle, and the ring moved again.  
  
Announcer. "Amazing, the floor moves with a mere whistle."  
  
Akane punched the ground and jumped on a pillar as she ripped away the canvas. Surprised screams were heard, and seconds later the entire St. Hebereke High School Rhythmic Gymnastics team swarmed out from the ring and ran out of the building.  
  
Announcer: "People power is what moved that ring, folks, and look at that pack of leotards scattering. Now that the floor is gone, the only things left are the rope and pillars. How much longer will this last?"  
  
Akane had counted a hundred different ways that she couldn't have ended this fight, even when she did attack she was holding back a lot. She was trying to think of an interesting way to end the fight, and then she thought 'Screw it I'm tired of this.'  
  
Akane threw a club at the center of Kodachi's pillar. At first nothing happened except a club was imbedded in the pillar, but mere seconds later there was cracking around the club. Then, Kodachi was on the ground, her pillar split in two.  
  
Announcer: "Champion Kuno is out of the ring. According to the rules, the fight is over." The bell was sounded three times, Akane went to the referee and was declared the winner.  
  
"Akane Tendo. I, Kodachi Kuno, the rising star in rhythmic gymnastics, I Kodachi the black rose have been defeated." Kodachi shed dramatic tears. "As I have promised, I will abandon my present love for my darling Ranma. Now I will burn a brand-new passion for my Ranma darling."  
  
Akane blinked.  
  
"OOOOKkkayy. Um. Ranko we should go now and tell Ranma that I won the match."  
  
Ranko nodded, and left silently trying to get as much distance between herself and Kodachi. When they were out of hearing range: "Man, she's crazy!" Akane giggled, it wasn't a hysterical giggle, it was just to let him know she was amused. She grabbed his hand and quickened their pace to the changing room so that she could get on civilian clothes, and then ushered Ranma out of the school.  
  
Ranma was beginning to worry. They had been wandering around the city for more than an hour. It was almost three o'clock. Ranma remembered the bet Kodachi and Akane had before the match. He had heard it all "Take her" that could mean only so many things. Ranma was a little nervous when they had passed the first love hotel, but they passed right by it. It made him wonder about where/what/when they were doing. He also had other non-logical questions like: will she make me turn back into a guy first? He was also wondering why he wasn't protesting. So that was the first love hotel they passed, and now they've passed three of them. Every time Ranma saw one, he held his breath, then let it out when they passed it.  
  
They finally found a nice ice cream parlor, and Akane went right inside still dragging Ranma. Ranma was now confused as to why Akane was ordering a single scoop of chocolate ice-cream with hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles, and why he was ordering a banana sundae. They sat down at a booth in the corner that was away from any sort of window.  
  
"Thank you, Ranma, for taking me for ice cream."  
  
Ranma blinked in surprise. 'Oh, so THAT'S what she meant by "taking me" Kodachi never let her finish the sentence. Stupid psychopath. Man now I feel like the BIGGEST pervert in the world. Here, I'm thinking about love hotels, and all she wants is a scoop of ice cream. Ranma no baka.' Ranma blushed.  
  
"Not a problem." The words had just left Ranma's mouth, when a huge crash through the wall on the other side of the store caught both of their attentions.  
  
"Ranma, I kill!"  
  
End Chapter  
  
AN: I'm truly sorry about the lengthiness of this chapter, it might not be lengthy in reality, but seems like it to me. It took me forever and a day to write.  
  
"The greatest thing about the human body is that it passes out before it dies." It's time for yearbook signing, and I usually pick a quote, and that's what it is this year. But I didn't add the last part. "So don't be afraid to go out there and give your one hundred percent." I heard it all the time at this little thing called Drum Corps. If you don't know what it is, let me explain as simply as I can. It's a hybrid between a marching band (except with now woodwinds) and going through basic training in the army. I, of course, am part of the auxiliary. (don't ask I wont tell)  
  
I know there's a reason why people shouldn't constantly switch reading Japanese manga format to English manga format. Here's an example why: Ranma manga number 5 page 20. It right after Ranma got the phoenix pill was practicing trying to apologize to Akane while bathing when Shampoo suddenly was in the bath with him. This is what I read: "Poor Ranma see me and pass out!" "Why should he? After all, what good am I?" "Ranma! Aren't you going to thank Akane?!". I read that and it seemed like that was a little-bit on the sexual innuendo side. It was weird. Then I figured out that I was reading it like it was in the Japanese format. This is how it's supposed to read: "Ranma! Aren't you going to thank Akane?!" "Why should he? After all, what good am I?" "Poor Ranma see me and pass out!" "Shampoo, I think it's about time we had a little talk about bathtubs and men." Hopefully I'm not the only person to have done that (I mean read it out of order and find it actually make sense, sort of), it does make you think though. I'm weird ::sweatdrop::  
  
I know it's not tradition to review/recommend other stories in your story, I feel compelled. While you are waiting for me to finish the next chapter, I would like to recommend a story that you read to keep yourself busy. It's called "Until the End" by Mr. Clark. It's a war story. Ranma is drafted into the military at the age of 21 leaving his wife and daughter behind. The Japanese are working with the Chinese to invade Siberia, and Ranma's right in the mist. Ryouga has been a held captive as a POW for four years when the story begins, and his fiancée Akari and his son (that he doesn't know exists) Ryoga Jr. lives with Akane. It's a fabulous story, even if you don't like war stories, you'll like this one. It's great.  
  
I seem to have this curse, I can never watched an anime series in order. Unless, of course, it's a movie, that doesn't count. I seemed to have read this one out of order. It seems to have leaked over into my fanfic reading. I recommend that you read "Balance of Power" before you read "Until the End". I haven't read it yet, but apparently it explains what happened four years earlier. How can I recommend something I haven't read yet? Trust me, It's good if it's anything like "Until the End." 


	12. Ju

Chapter 10  
  
Kami-sama was fuming. He was storming around his castle in the sky. All of the fates had been cowering in fear of his wrath, but he was looking for a specific fate.  
  
"GURD!!!"  
  
Kami-sama said as jump kicked Gurd in the face. Fates don't really have faces, they look sort of took on a human shape except they would probably be better described as highly condensated black mist. Kami didn't seem to mind that his foot went THROUGH Gurd, because is seemed relieve him of some of his anger.  
  
"Kami-sama?"  
  
"I TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU, BUT DID YOU LISTEN? NNOOOOOO."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Come."  
  
Kami dragged Gurd by his ear, or at least where his would be if he were human, up the stairs and into his office. Gurd sighed in resignation. Over the past sixteen years he had seen more of this room, than he had in the last seven hundred years of his existence.  
  
"Magic Mirror on the wall, Show me Akane and her situation."  
  
"You know Kami, you don't have to say Magic Mirror.."  
  
"Hush! Let me have my fun."  
  
Yeah well despite having said "Magic Mirror" it actually looks more like a bird bath. With a mysterious liquid inside that just happens to be able to show Kami what is happening on his earth at any given point. The picture, at first, was blurry but it soon focused.  
  
The picture was of Ranma in girl form and Akane having ice cream.  
  
"Now, well that doesn't seem so bad."  
  
"Just keep watching." Kami was staring into the birdbath/mirror thingy intensely.  
  
"What are they saying? You know you should install something better, you know something that has a sound system."  
  
"FOOL, if it isn't broken don't fix it. I've had this relic for over a thousand years, and it works perfectly. It's not what they're saying, but what's happening that's important."  
  
Gurd looked back into the mirror just in time to see Shampoo bust through the wall of the ice cream parlor. Then Shampoo said something to Akane, Akane said something to Shampoo, and Shampoo left.  
  
"You know you really should get sound."  
  
" FOOL that's not the point of me bringing you here. I TOLD you it was a bad idea to take her to the Amazon village, but NO you just HAD to find the loop hole in their laws. There are three rules of the Amazon village that involve outside villagers. If you are an outsider female and you beat a villager you will have the kiss of Death. If you are an outsider male and you beat a villager you will have the kiss of marriage. If you are an outsider of either gender and you beat a village elder you will get the kiss of sister hood, and become apart of the tribe. BUT this totally screws up Akane's life at the moment. She has two choices, break her promise to you or to be hunted down by the Amazons. Sure they may have a few credible techniques, but is it really the worth the pain and suffering she'll go through now. This is really serious, what if."  
  
"Now kami-san, I think we should put a little more faith in Akane. A little problem like this is nothing to her.."  
  
"You better be right Gurd, or I'll make you fix it your self."  
  
Akane is currently lost. After storming after out of the ice cream parlor, leaving Ranma behind to pay the bill, she had been so mad that she couldn't see straight. Now, how ever, she was really wishing that she could retrace her steps and go home.  
  
'Now I feel really stupid. This is the fifth pay phone I've passed, but I forget the number to my own house. I don't know how to get back there. Even if I did, it would take me until way after sunset to get home. I'm such a fool. I was in such a hurry to get out of there. In such a hurry not to get involved in the Amazon law. I'm such a fool, I'm involved whether I want to be or not. I just need to go about this in the right way. I know I'll call Hotohori, he'll tell me what to do.."  
  
Well she vowed that when she got home she would give Hotohori a ring, At least it was one thing off her chest. It still didn't help the fact that she was lost.  
  
'FINALLY!!! I found a grocery store, maybe they'll have a map that I can buy. Crap, I don't have any money. Well, I'll look and point myself in the right general direction. Maybe.'  
  
Akane was about to turn into the store, when she heard something fall to the ground that sounded suspiciously like a grocery bag behind her. She turned around to help the person pick up their groceries (and maybe get directions). She had gone directly for the groceries without looking at the person. She looked up in surprise as she heard.  
  
"A. Akane chan?"  
  
Nabiki was a little worried, Akane wasn't home yet. The sun had set two hours ago. They hadn't even gotten so much as a phone call from her. Ranma had gotten home about two hours after the match had ended. He was certainly having an interesting night. A strange girl had followed him home. Depending on his form, the girl was either trying to kill or kiss him. It was amusing for the first hour or so, but now it was getting old. Nabiki retired early from dinner, and is now lying on her bed looking at the ceiling.  
  
'Hmm. I wonder if life will ever settle down with those two around. still though Ranma's life seems to be a bit more chaotic than Akane's. Then again with Akane it may just be the calm before the storm. You know, I wonder when her birthday is?'  
  
With that Nabiki got up out of bed and got out the black box. This was the third night she had spent trying to find Akane's birthday, and she was sure that it would be another fruitless night indeed.  
  
Ranma laid down on his bed. He was thinking about the days events especially the most recent ones.  
  
**flash back **  
  
Ranma had tried to find Akane after he had paid for their ice cream and turned back into his male form, but he saw Shampoo first. Shampoo was attacking an innocent girl that just happened to have red hair in a pig tail and a really nice set of breasts with her bonbori's (little stick thingies with led balls at the end). Ranma didn't even think about it, he kicked the bonboris out her hand. Unfortunately they flew straight up and landed on her head. The red head girl was thanking Ranma profusely, when Shampoo woke up.  
  
** end flash back**  
  
'I HATE this, why is my life so zany? Why can't I even go out for ice cream without gaining a new fiancée and/ or have a lunatic try to kill me? I wonder where Akane is?"  
  
Ranma stayed up until the wee hours of the night thinking over what had happened that day.  
  
Nabiki and Ranma weren't the only ones to have suffered from lack of sleep that night. Nodoka hadn't been fairing well either. Nodoka, other than getting groceries and Akane a leotard she hadn't left the house all week. Her hair was untidy, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Nodoka stared at herself through her tea and sighed.  
  
**flash back**  
  
It was a few weeks after Akane had left with her sensei. It was a rainy night, around midnight. Nodoka had been drinking tea, she couldn't sleep. The phone had rung.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
It was a call from the hospital. Nodoka's best friend, Mrs. Tendo, had just been run over by a drunk driver. Nodoka lived five minutes from the hospital, and was there in no time. Everything else was a blur until she was finally sitting beside the dying woman, whom Nodoka had known since childhood.  
  
"No-chan, nice of you to come visit me." Mrs. Tendo looked like she was in very deep pain. She was having trouble breathing. Nodoka could only give Mrs. Tendo a sympathetic smile.  
  
"What's up with that face?" Mrs. Tendo closed her eyes, seemingly in resignation. "I need to tell you something before. I need to tell you."  
  
"You can tell me anything." Nodoka grabbed Mrs. Tendo's hand.  
  
"I've told you how Soun talks in his sleep haven't I?" Mrs. Tendo smiled slightly, but then her expression was serious. "That miscarriage in the woods I had. wasn't a miscarriage. No-chan. I have another daughter out there some where."  
  
Nodoka remembered gasping and saying "Oh Mariko chan!"  
  
"A few weeks ago. found out.. I. My conscience wont rest easy. Could you do me one last favor? My daughter. not to have .. Not to have a mother. horrible.. Would you?"  
  
Then Mariko slipped into a coma. She never finished what she was about to say, her last wish was never completely spoken. Yet somehow Nodoka knew what she was asking. Mariko lasted four days in her coma before she slipped away into the after life.  
  
Nodoka would always remembered the Mariko died. She was still in shock about what Mariko said, but when Soun emerged from the hospital on that fourth day. He turned on her with a rampage. He banned her from ever coming near his family. He wouldn't let her attend the funeral. He returned any presents she gave his daughters for their birthdays or Christmas. Nodoka always thought that he blamed her for being the last person to talk to his wife. She wanted to be a motherly figure in his daughter's life so that Mariko's last wish might have been met, but something had prevented her from opposing Soun. Maybe Nodoka felt guilty that she was the last person to talk to Mariko. Maybe she was just waiting for the right time.  
  
**end flashback**  
  
**end chapter for the lack of a better ending**  
  
AUTHORS APOLOGIES  
  
Hi, um, just wanted to let you know that I'm NOT dead to the world. just half dead. I'm truly sorry about this long pause in my fanfic. Let me explain why I haven't updated, I know you don't really care, but I feel I owe an explanation for keeping you so long. Anyway, First I was punished from the computer because I was supposed to study for my SAT's, then I was studying for finals. After that, though I went straight into my summer job. My summer job is a counselor at a Girl Scout camp. in the middle of the woods. No computer. I'm only home for two days every twelve, but it's only a summer job I can deal with it. I've had this chapter written for about a month, but no computer. So I apologize of the shortness of the chapter. I'm on a break right now (I get to go home for one night then I have to be back by breakfast) so I promise to fix any inconsistencies when I get back for good. 


	13. Juichi

Chapter 11

"A.Akane chan?"

Akane had just automatically went to help the person who dropped their groceries, and hadn't looked at the person yet. When the female voice said "Akane chan", though, Akane's head shot straight up and so did the rest of her body.

"Do I know you?"

Akane was looking at a very handsome boy. He was wearing a chef uniform. His long chestnut hair was pulled back in a loose pony tale, his eyes looked at Akane with anguish. Akane also noticed the really huge spatula strapped to his back. That's when it hit her.

"Ucchan?"

"Akane!"

"Ucchan!"

Akane flew into the strangers arms, and was hugging him profusely.

"I can't believe you're really here! I haven't seen you in so long!" Akane started rambling on excitedly, until Ucchan decided to shut Akane up by putting his finger on her lips.

"Why don't we go to my place and talk? We have a lot to catch up on, plus it's more private than out here, Sugar."

Akane looked around, and realized that people were staring. She blushed deeply.

"O-ok."

Ukyou took Akane by her shoulders and led her off to her place, they were there in about five minutes. The place used to be a restaurant with living space upstairs. The place was a little dusty, and it appeared, considering the amount of boxes that were down stairs that he was still moving in.

"This is my new restaurant; I'll have to clean the place up a bit before it opens though."

Akane nodded and allowed Ukyou to lead her upstairs.

"And this is my room. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, I would like that very much."

Ukyou went back downstairs to warm some water for tea. Akane scanned the room she was in, it was very Spartan indeed. The only things he had in his room was an old futan, including a worn pillow, and a light blanket. He had a dresser that was still dusty, and a luggage bag that was still full. The only decoration was a single picture frame sitting on the dresser. Akane went over to look at the picture. She smiled then she picked it up. The picture was of chibi Ukyou on a man's shoulders, Akane only assumed was her father. Something fell out of the picture frame and fluttered to the ground. It was a wallet sized photo graph, it hit the ground upside down. Akane put the frame back on the dresser and bent down to pick up the photo. Akane's eyes opened wide with shock when she realized what was in the picture. She just stood there with the photograph in her hand until she heard the door slide open, then looked toward Ukyou, whom was closing the door with his feet.

Ukyou turned around and saw Akane with the photograph in her hand, and smirked.

"I see you've made yourself quite at home."

"You still have this?"

"Of course I do, after all these years, you're still the only one."

... change scene..

A Soun demon head is something that nobody ever forgets, it's scary, quite frankly and a bit persuasive too. There is another technique, though, based on the same principles, but enhanced one hundred times by too much bad sake. This, my good friend, is what woke Ranma Saotome at one in the morning. Ranma was unable to defend himself against such a great attack. The fact the Tendo was slurring and wasn't exactly comprehensible, adding to the fact that Ranma was still half asleep. He got the jest of what Tendo was saying when he was standing outside the compound with his travelers bag thrown at his face.

"I guess I'm sleeping in the abandoned lot tonight."

Ranma tiredly dragged himself two blocks to the abandoned lot and made a VERY make-shift tent.

Xian Pu had been outside all evening keeping watch because her husband/rival apparently resided in the house. She had actually accidentally fallen asleep on the tree outside of Ranma's room. She had been waiting for the light to go off in the room next to her airen so that she could go inside and find her rival with out being detected, but it was just so peaceful, she couldn't help it. That all ended at one in the morning, startled by the sudden drunken noise emanating from the house, Xian Pu almost fell out of the tree. Fully awake, now, Shampoo followed her Airen who had apparently just been thrown out of the house. She watched him from a nearby roof, and waited a good half an hour, then snuck into his tent.

'Ohh. I think I'm supposed to seduce him now.. But I hardly know him, so I'll just sleep by his side tonight." ..

Ranma was having a "good" dream. In the absence of a certain somebody in his bed, his sub-consciousness allowed him to have a more "raunchy" dream than usual.

Though I'll spare ye innocent and pure children of the details of the dream, it went something like this:

Akane and Ranma were at the ice cream parlor, eating ice cream like they were earlier that day. Exactly, Except for the fact that she was sitting on his lap feeding him a cherry. Then he said some corny phrase like "You've got some ice cream on your lip." And kissed her. Then suddenly out of nowhere they were on this vast bed with red crushed velvet covers... I think you get the direction of this dream.

Ok, so back to reality, Shampoo was just getting into bed with Ranma, when he rolled over and grabbed Shampoo into a hug.

'Great I can get used to this' Shampoo thought as she made herself comfy. At least that's what she thought until about thirty seconds later, when Ranma whispered into her ear:

"Akane, make me your love slave!"

Shampoo immediately stiffened up. 'It is against Amazon Law to lay with another women's man. Maybe I go now..' Unfortunately for Shampoo, she wasn't quick enough; Ranma grabbed a tight hold of her. Unbeknownst to Shampoo, even though she struggled for all she was worth to get out of his grip, she was not quick enough for the change in the direction of Dreams.

Ranma's Dream

Meanwhile in Ranma's head..

Ranma had just imagined short glimpses of a man's version of true happiness on earth. :wink::wink:

Now he found himself standing alone in the darkness, and the sound crying seemed to be everywhere affecting his very soul. He blundered around the darkness until he saw a white light, then he started to run towards it. He finally caught up to the light, when he finally realized what it was. Akane was sitting there her head buried in elbows which were hugging her knees. Dramatized sounds of crying were heard in the background. Ranma ran as fast as over to the huddled form of Akane. He reached out his hand to touch her arm, but before he could she jumped up, and looked at him accusingly through the tears in her eyes.

"What."

"How DARE you? I thought you loved me. How, How could you sleep with another woman?"

"I never."

But then a picture unfolded before his eyes. He was looking down upon himself, laying there with Shampoo in his arms.

"I'll just have to find someone that will treat me better."

Ranma turned around just in time to see Akane running off into the distance with a shadowy man right beside her.

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Akane wait!"

Ranma jerked into consciousness just to find him staring into the face of Shampoo. Ranma was struck dumb for a couple of seconds, before he acted on instincts a bawled Shampoo over in his haste to get away from that place.

"Akane come back!" Ranma screamed down the street, trying to chase down the Akane of his dreams. The dream was too real, reality was too dream-like his sleep long mind couldn't take it, and forced him into searching for Akane until early morning light.

Meanwhile back at Ukyou's house:

"You still have this?"

"Of course I do, after all these years, you're still the only one."

"Yeah, that's true, what are the chances? Finding two girls at an all boys school."

The two childhood friends talked straight through the night and through the first light of the next day.

"Well, I guess it's time to get you home, they must be worried about you." Ukyou did a big dramatic yawn.

"Oh, well about that, I'm sorta lost." Akane looked sheepish, after all that they had discussed that night, she had forgotten completely about going home. Ukyou did a quick tired giggle.

"Then we'll have quick breakfast before we go!" Ukyou jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Mere moments later the savory aroma of instant Ukanomiyaki (Sorry for slaughtering the spelling, it's late/early.) seemed to have filled every particle of air within the house.

A half an hour after that the two friends were walking down the street. They hardly got a block down the road when Ranma ran up to them. He was exhausted, and the worry in him left in a big wave. Therefore he was left on his knees breathing heavily.

"Ranma?" Akane was surprised, her fiancée just ran up at them out of nowhere, and now he was panting on the ground. It was almost like he had been running all night looking for her..

"Ranma Saotome prepare to die!" Ukyou eyes saw red. Here out of nowhere her lifelong nemesis ran up to her and was kneeling on the ground. Too bad, this had to happen just as she was about to forget about her vow of revenge and start her life over again starting with the shop that was about to open. Now though, she could take her revenge AND start her life anew. She drew her oversized Spatula from her back and attacked Ranma.

Ranma was unable to defend himself, he was too physically exhausted. Thankfully, though, the attack never hit him. Akane was faster than Ukyou's eyes could detect. She merely shot out her hand and grabbed Ukyou's wrists. Ukyou was rooted to the spot with surprise that Akane had stopped the attack. Akane moved between Ukyou and her fiancée. The expression on her face was hard to tell, there was a mixture suppressed of confusion, anger, concern, and compassion.

"Ukyou, why did you attack my fiancée?"

"Your fiancée? You never told me you had a fiancée. Well, I guess you FIANCEE can walk you home, good-bye." Ukyou turned and stormed back into her store. Once inside, Ukyou fell to the ground and started to weep.

"Damn, My best friend is getting married to my worst enemy." Ukyou wept for the better part of the day while contemplating what to do about the whole situation.

back where we left Ranma and Akane

Akane was about to go after Ukyou, when she felt a tight grip on her wrist.

"Come. Akane. let's.. go . home." Ranma was still out breath, and he was wobbly standing up. He let his weight fall forward, so that as Akane turned to face him, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Akane was surprised, she didn't think that Ranma had the energy to hold her so tight. It felt foreign to her to be touched at all with something other than a fist, but she decided after a second or two that she liked it and returned the hug. There they stood for several minutes until Ranma regained control of his breath, but they didn't actually let go of each other until an old man stuck his head out of a window and shouted "Get a room!" bringing them swiftly back into reality and putting a blush upon their cheeks. Ranma immediately grasped Akane by the wrist and ran full tilt toward home, dragging Akane behind him.

Back at the Tendo Dojo every one was still asleep when they arrived, so they went silently up to their room. Akane stepped in first, and Ranma closed the door after them.

"Whew, I'm tired I didn't get any sleep last night. I'm going back to bed." Akane immediately laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Um.. Akane.." Ranma was not looking at Akane, but rather out of the window, he took the chair out from the desk and sat down.

"What Ranma?" Akane turned her head so that she could see Ranma more clearly.

"What happened to you last night?"

"Well, after I left the ice cream parlor I got horribly lost. Then Ukyou found me and let me stay the night."

"What did you two do?"

"We talked, we're old friends. How do you know Ukyou?"

"I don't remember him, I'm horrible with names and places. He sure did seem pissed at me though. I'll ask dad later today, he might remember." There was a little pause, it was obvious that something was eating away at Ranma but I think it was even more obvious that Akane was on the verge of a very good rest.

"Akane, Do you love Ukyou?"

Akane rolled over so that she was facing Ranma and propped herself on her elbow. She scorned at him. "What are you talking about? Ukyou's a girl." Ranma made a visible sigh of relief and made to crawl into bed after Akane.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To bed."

"I don't think you should share a bed with me anymore. You couldn't even defend yourself from Ukyou. You no longer will be tolerated in my room."

Ranma stormed out of the room, and straight to the dojo. Thinking many dark and nasty thoughts of Akane, not allowing her to explain herself, and vowing to show her that he isn't weak and worthy of her.

Akane laid back down.

"That didn't go to well. Let's see, how should that conversation have really gone?... Ranma, I'm rather fond of you, but.. I've been thinking. My enemies, they're at my level of skill, you aren't. You have the potential, but you haven't gotten there yet because you were trained by someone who loves you. It would relieve me of much burden if I could profess that I'm beginning to have feelings for you. But I'm afraid of Sensei finding out. He seems to not like me growing fond of anything. So, If you were stronger I wouldn't constantly be worrying about you winding up like everything I have ever been fond of. Dead. Okay, that still makes me sound like a sadistic bitch, but maybe then he would understand. I'm only worried about him, about the future." With that Akane fell asleep.

End of Book I

The world is a darker place than what it used to be. Not really, I just got new transition lenses.

I really apologize for the delay in getting out this chapter, while I'm at it I apologize FOR this chapter. You would think that the amount of time I spend on my computer I would be able to whiz through these chapters like no tomorrow but NOOOOO.. Let's just say I have a life outside this fanfic, though it's been in my head for six years I don't think it's going anywhere.

Are you trying to learn Japanese? Do you have lots of time on your hands? Well I shown the coolest thing since sliced bread the other day. It's simple, just type in LRNJ .com as in learn Japanese. There you will see a RPG computer game called "Slime Forest" that you can download from the computer. It's a simple game really, Kanji attack you until you learn what they mean. It's really effective at teaching you, and it's fun too. I'm not really a computer game person, but I really recommend this one.

Hopefully my next update is sooner than this last one.

(I don't like to change my author's notes when I'm changing previous chapters, BUT if you are rereading this fanfiction you might notice that I took out some of the last bit… believe me it will make this better as a whole)

Ja ne!


	14. Prelude

Prelude of book II

:Warning: Due to the author's original intent for this fanfiction will be a cross-over fic starting…. Now. Don't worry, you'll be okay with this crossover because the other universes used are so inanely warped that its more like the author was too lazy to make up her own characters:

Thank you my patient readers, this is where the story begins, and I clue you in.

Somewhere in the big sky, Kami was storming through his halls in a rampage. Finally, he reached a room that looked like nothing more than a closet. He slammed the door open and stormed in. The room had a musty feel to it, directly in the center though was Gurd dressed in Shinto robes with twin flames dancing in rhythm to his prayers.

"GURD! I thought we decided to let Akane have a full year to get used to her family before sending her out again?"

Gurd ignored Kami and continued praying.

"DON'T.. YOU.. IGNORE.. ME!"

Kami reached out and started strangling Gurd with his bare hands shaking his head back and forth. Gurd choked, and at the same moments the flames blew out. Kami let go of Gurd, yet he was still shaking with rage and breathing heavily from the effort. Gurd stood up, faced Kami and straightened his robes.

"With all due respect, Kami, I think Akane needs a vacation. Besides I was in the middle of transporting her, and now she isn't even where I intended her to go."

"Oh yeah? Where were you going to put her?"

"You know that universe you put inside Natsuki Takaya's mind?"

"Do you meant the one they call decided to call 'Fruits Basket'?"

"Yep that one, I sense a minor demon in it. Should have only taken her a couple of hours to finish the job, but now that I have to find her.."

"See that you do, and It's time for me to go to my spa treatment now… Ja ne!"

Kami skipped out of the room, leaving Gurd with his jaw on his floor.

When Gurd recovered he couldn't help but snicker. He knows exactly where Akane is… and it isn't in 'Fruit's Basket'..

'Oh Kami, I am forever faithful, yet sometimes I wonder… He doesn't seem to grasp the true horrors of the events that are about to take place… A hundred trillion years ago there had been a fight between two kami's that had shared one earth for at least a hundred trillion years before that. There had been a great battle between the Kamis for the earth. In the end, the earth had been split into many earths and the kamis were split into many kamis, exactly one for each earth. So for a hundred trillion years all the kamis had lived in peace. Now, though, there was a renegade Kami. He was raising havoc a lot of the 'universes.' Kami knew there was nothing he could do, because even though Kami's can smile upon an individual and make him do his will, Kami's cannot step a foot onto their own earth's and neither can their servant's called 'fates.'

Up until the last trillion years, the Kamis kept to themselves and no major conflicts occurred. In the last five trillion years, however, the Kami named Hideki started to kill off Kami's that existed by him. He would do this by defying the Code of the Kami which states basically prohibits 'fate' direct intervention and direct possession of persons on their or other worlds. This has made him powerful and his minions are deadly.

In response to this other kamis formed an alliance, they met a trillion years ago and named it the Greater Kami Convention. They all signed a treaty that they had to adhere to it or their bodies would disintegrate. In this convention they discovered that the Code of the Kami was so old that the magic was so old that Hideki would only get ulcers every time he invaded another universe. The first thing the Kamis agreed upon in the convention is that this would be rewritten and reinstated, except for one exception. The exception was that in the case that there was 'future couple whose fate was so strong that anything, ANYTHING, could be done to either couple and they would still be helplessly in love.' And the war was still going on, they would allow ONE fate and ONE Kami to over step their boundaries in order protect the community of Kamis that were bound by this pact. Another thing they did was to nickname their universes and put a synopsis of their universe in a huge data base, the data is now stored in the universe 'Oh! My Goddess!'. The last thing they decided, in good faith, Kami's were now allowed to use the universes that another Kami is supervising and feed it to ordinary people's head so that their stories would be told. There were stipulations like, you had to make sure the Kami got proper credit by naming the idea after their existing universes, that personalities had to be slightly altered, and no mention of the future couple made.'

"Akane, the chosen one, I hope you enjoy your killing spree."

Gurd blew out the candles and left the room.

END

:Author's notes:

GOMEN NASAI

The truth is, is that I've been contemplating how to actually precede with this fanfiction. From this point on this is one cross-over after another. I hope that this prelude answered some questions as to the direction of this fanfiction. It only gets better. I recently reread my own fanfiction, and realized that some stuff doesn't make much sense, so I thank you for continuing to read even though some of it is incoherent.

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU

For reading this much, I'll make sure that you'll love the rest of this fanfic as much as the first half. If you don't like cross-overs, just think of it as me being to lazy to make up my own universes for this fanfiction.

CONFESSION

I've actually, also been working on other things, such as making my own Yukata (Kimono except cotton)! If you are interested in making your own Yukata, email me or AIM me, I'll try to help. I have also discovered a new way of downloading anime, it's called BITtorrent. Use it. I usually go to  X 2

I have rewritten this prelude because… well, I wrote myself into a literary hole and this way is easier…

I'm going to stop babbling now, I hope I get the next chapter up soon, I have the beginning of the next two chapters written I just have to finish/combine them. X.x

Ja Matta!

Book II

Akane was sleeping peacefully though out the morning. She had successfully kicked Ranma out of her bed, and was having pleasant dreams. She woke up too late however, a second after her eyes opened a blinding flash engulfed her letting out a shrill scream as a tingling sensation ran though out her body. 'What the…. Oh yeah, I've done this plenty of times…. Sensei is summoning me …' She was immediately magically transported from her room.

Ranma ran up the stairs and flew the door open to their room. There was nothing there to explain the strange light. The door had been closed, the window is still closed, and there are no holes in the walls. Then how? No clue, except for creature sitting on the pillow that up until recently had sported Akane's head.

The creature leapt up at the site of Ranma. It stood only about two feet tall and was incredibly skinny with oversized head, hands, and feet. Just picture Dobey from Harry Potter and you're very close to what I want him to look like.

He bowed to Ranma, and then stared at him straight in the eyes. "Best be following me if you want to see Akane again." Then he jumped and landed on the top of the ceiling fan, and from there he jumped onto the shocked Ranma's shoulder. "Best be following me indeed!"

The strange creature ran into the hallway, down the stairs past the family members that were now trying to push their way up the stairs, and out the door. Ranma followed at a rapid place, before he knew it, he was roof hopping across town chasing the gremlin-looking creature for information about Akane.

'I am the best at what I do, so you think I would be used to this by now.'

Akane woke up with a slight headache and had no idea where she was at.

Meanwhile in Universe: Ranma ½

Ranma was dead beat tired. After following this creature for several hours he found himself in the middle of the woods. He leaned against a tree


End file.
